WASHINGTON - First Lady Rula Ghani has said the Unity Government led by President Ashraf Ghani has taken concrete steps in the last 18 months to establish rule of law in the country and ensured protection and empowerment of women.
Giving a snap shot of the series of steps that the Unity Government has taken after coming to power in the field of rule of law, justice and legal system, the First Lady said a lot has been achieved in this regard, but the country has a long way to go.
“Hopefully gone are the days when women languished in jails and were hopeless,” the First Lady said in her address on Friday here “From the Reign of Violence to the Rule of Law: The Role of Reform in Rebuilding Afghan Society” at the US Institute of Peace, a top American think-tank.
The present unity government was hard at work to establish rule of law in the country, she said adding this government was busy to establish the foundation for a strong and peaceful Afghanistan which was annoyed by a segment in the country.
Born and raised in Lebanon, Rula Ghani in her speech discussed Afghanistan’s history of violent conflict and recent progress and challenges in reforming the justice sector, including for women.
“We used to have a justice system, which was a joke,” she said, asserting that this is not the case now because of the steps being taken by the Unity Government. The measures taken have reduced the possibility of corruption in the judiciary system.
“Today it seems war is everywhere. War and conflict tear apart a society,” she said. One of the major priorities of the unity government is to establish the rule of law, she said. These steps have been taken with the objective of restoring the confidence of the people in the justice system. It has also reviewed the qualification of the people in the justice system, and immediately reviewed of all those in detention.
Responding to questions later, Rula Ghani said she never expected to be the First Lady. “When my husband was elected, I had no agenda,” she said adding that it took her some time to adjust with the new system.
A few weeks later she opened the doors of the palace for the common man, she noted. “The flow of people continues,” she added.
Currently on a visit to the United States, the First Lady emphasised on women empowerment and their education. Observing that she did not have any power, she said she was doing her best to help the women of the country. Responding to a question, the First Lady said she saw her role to encourage people to achieve what they are best capable of.
Critical of the mainstream American media, she said the situation in Kabul were not that bad. “Yes it is a difficult situation, bit it was predicted. NATO just withdrew. Yes, security is not as good as before, but the Afghan Army is performing very well despite their limitations.
“Unfortunately now the Taliban is not just the Taliban. It has people from all over the world. Right now these are just mercenaries. They are not fighting for a cause, but because they are getting a salary,” she said.   (Pajhwok)