To,
The President of India,
Her Excellency Droupadi Murmu
We are writing this letter on behalf of our brave women from Afghanistan who are living in the darkest place in the world for any female generation. We are very elated to learn that Her Excellency has been elected as the President of India, the highest executive office of the largest democracy on this planet. We would like to express our heartfelt joy and best wishes to Her Excellency.
On August 15th, 2021, the Taliban took over Kabul. On August 17th, we decided to protest in front of the Ariana Gate of ARG (the Presidential Palace where Taliban leadership was present) in Kabul. From day one of our protests, we have wanted our rights as equal humans to this date; Equality for girls’ education, equality in law, equality to work and earn a decent living.
Many of us have lost lives, sexually harassed by Taliban fighters because we chose to raise the Afghan flag as a symbol of our struggle for equality, jobs, and liberty against the despotic Taliban rule. And we are still standing and fighting in this unequal battle.
Her Excellency’s election to the highest office as a woman has renewed our motivation and breathed new life into us to continue our struggle against fundamentalism, discrimination, and misogyny against the women of Afghanistan. Our two nations have shared culture, history, and friendship throughout history. Our enemies have been common in different time periods of history and have tried to implement various plans to sever our ties and impose political, security, and economic pressure on the people of Afghanistan and the people of India (Bharat).
Despite everything, the hearts of the people of our nations are close to each other. The people of Afghanistan have always benefited from the humanitarian support and cooperation of the Republic of India. We are in deep gratitude for the many developmental projects such as the construction of large water diversion dams, the construction of transportation projects, agriculture, the building of cultural and educational-educational institutions including the construction of hundreds of schools for repair, and the annual donation of thousands of free scholarships. We are very thankful for the support for training and capacity building of National Army personnel, and accessible treatment of wounded security forces.
Major Abdul Rahim, whose both hands were cut off by the Taliban, is deeply indebted to the Indian doctors who transplanted both of his hands successfully. India took care of the Afghan people during the historic pandemic by sending us the coronavirus vaccines which were only accessible to rich and powerful nations. India also came out in support during our recent earthquake. The support of the people of India and the Government of India is appreciable and unforgettable for us Afghan people.
We sincerely pray that Her Excellency stands by the women of Afghanistan against fundamentalism and establish democracy and equality as we had before. There is no doubt that the outcome of these struggles will be important for Her Excellency as well.
Once again, on behalf of the proud and freedom-loving nation of Afghanistan, we congratulate Her Excellency on her success as the President of India. We hope that one day a “Murmu” will appear in our weary land, and as the First Native Female President, she will lay the foundation of equality and freedom for Afghanistan and the world.
Raazia Barakzai
First Afghan Women Protest Against the Taliban, Founder of the Spontaneous Movement of Fighting Women of Afghanistan” and Board Member of the “The Liberty Coalition”
Habiba A. Marhoon
Founder and the President of “The Liberty Coalition” a US-based NGO
