After the targeted assassination of Hanifa Safi, the Head of Women Affairs Department in Laghman province last month, another woman in a key position was assassinated on Friday, August 10, by unknown gunman. The targeted woman was Seema Aka Khel – the principal of Ahmadshah Abdali Girls School in northern Balkh province.

According to the news reports, she was murdered at her home, while her husband and father in law were in the mosque. It is yet unknown that who killed her and investigations are on the way; however, there are great possibilities that she might have been targeted by extremist Taliban or their supporters – the ones who cannot tolerate the participation of women in social and political lives and are ready to go to any extreme so as to limit their participation.

The attack is definitely a continuation of the series of incidents that have been taking place in different parts of the country so as to discourage women from playing their role in society. After the downfall of Taliban, there has been relative improvement in the status of women, but for the last some months there have been incidents that point at the deterioration of it.

There have been different efforts made to dishearten women in different ways. A couple of months earlier there was a machination to keep the girls away from school. Hundreds of girls were poisoned mysteriously in certain provinces within their schools. Prior to that there were incidents when acid was thrown on the faces of the girls who would go to school.

Then there were the incidents of Sahar Gul and Gul Naz. Who can forget the inhuman violence that was carried out against them? They were beaten, forced to prostitution and even misused by their own husbands and in-laws.

When the women’s husbands, who should be their guardians and guarantee their security, themselves are involved in misusing them in the worst possible manner, the prospects of a better live for Afghan women seems very much dim. All these facts seem to be pointing at the scenario quite similar to Taliban era. Moreover, there are many women who fear that Taliban may return after the withdrawal of security forces and achievements that have been made regarding the rights and development of women would be lost.

The worst of the incidents that refreshed the memories of the Taliban era took place almost a month ago. A Taliban member shot dead a woman in front of a crowd near Kabul. The woman was accused of adultery and the so-called pious servant of God treated her with the best he knew. She was shot five times as she was kneeling helpless in front of a crowd of about 150 men, who as a response to the punishment cherished the act. One from within the crowd commented, "It is the order of Allah that she be executed".

There is no doubt that the punishment was senseless, but what to name the response of the people standing and cherishing around? This is Talibanism in its purist form and unfortunately it is at a time when billions of dollars have been spent and thousands of lives have been lost to eradicate the menace.

It can now be easily concluded that the incidents violating women rights in Afghanistan have not been stopped though there have been many claims of developments. In fact the changes are prevalent only on the exterior while from within the Afghan society still lacks the modernity and development it needs in order to reach to a respectable position. The support and assistance of the international community has only been able to provide clean and beautiful attire not a praiseworthy soul to Afghan society and this attire is going to get dirty very soon.

The Afghan social structure has been vehemently dominated by religious extremism and tribal nepotism. Though these factors have affected almost everyone, women have been intensely influenced as they belong to the weaker strata of the society. Most of the self-designed religious doctrines and tribal norms are against the women and discriminate their basic rights.

Unfortunately, these norms and doctrines have even gone to the extent of violence and have tortured women physically – mostly in the public. They, in the name of dignity of women, have in fact degraded them. The concept of so-called tribal honor and dignity has not been able to provide safety and respect to Afghan women.

It is really important that women should have their representation in different social and political institutions in the country and they should be made an important part of different processes. Though there have been improvements in this regard since the end of Taliban regime, the concerns seems to be rising recently.

It is unfortunate to note that Afghan authorities and many important personalities themselves have favored the recommendations and suggestions to limit the participation of women in social and political lives. As most of these authorities are themselves nourished in an extremist patriarchal society and do not have much consideration regarding the role and empowerment of women and consider it against their tribal values that they come out of their houses, they would never follow a movement to save women from violence and make them achieve their due place in Afghan society. In such a scenario, it is very difficult to expect that Taliban would respect the rights of women.

It is really important that government must not support the discriminatory ideas against the women. Afghan society is a society that has been dominated by male chauvinism and its history has been filled with various incidents of ruthless violence against women. There are different sorts of such incidents every now and then in different parts of country even in today’s Afghanistan. Government can prove to be a hope for the women. If it itself encourages the intentions that may undermine the rights of women, it would be very difficult to expect the same from common people.

Moreover, the international community in this regard can also play an important role. Though it has mentioned on almost all the important occasions that human rights, especially women rights, have to be given top priority by the Afghan government if it wills to have the support of major countries, it has not been able to make Afghan government pursue a really practical and comprehensive strategy regarding the issue, which is the only solution for preserving the women rights and dignity to a certain extent in Afghan society.