Actual Situation of Women in Afghanistan: A Heart Breaking Narrative

Actual Situation of Women in Afghanistan: A Heart Breaking Narrative

Sami U. OMARI

Me and my wife were traveling from Herat to Kandahar, my wife asked me for a brief reprieve from her burqa.

Although I was uncertain of the reason, I surmised it might have been due to the high pressure and heat inside the car. I remained silent and unconcerned. However, her insistence grew, and she uttered, hey “I can’t breathe”.

In the back seat beside us, there were men with long beards who hadn’t conversed with their wives throughout the whole journey, as though they were absent. The women displayed an extraordinary level of submission, surpassing that of machines, and remained quieter than any living being.

Again, I disagreed, emphasizing that it was inappropriate for a woman to reveal herself to the men we don’t know in the car. She responded, “I just need some water; I don’t feel well.”

I reiterated that a few drops of water couldn’t justify unveiling herself to the men in the car. She fell silent, enduring the discomfort and everything concealed beneath the burqa.

The driver parked the car along the highway for prayer, after praying we resumed our journey and passed numerous markets and bazaars, and traveled for four hours, during which my wife remained silent and refrained from drinking water.

Upon reaching Kabul, everyone dismounted from the car. However, my wife didn’t step down. Instead, she had leaned her head against the window. I grew frustrated with her stubbornness and whispered, “Do you like the driver?”

Once again, she remained mute and didn’t even move a bit. I assuming her anger stemmed due to my refusal to allow her to remove her burqa, I tried to touch her arm. She fall off onto the road. Being in a panic, I hastily removed the burqa from her face, and found her lifeless.

She wasn’t breathing; she had passed away, inexplicably.

Until that moment, I hadn’t comprehended how fragile a woman’s life could be…!!

Source: Khushnood Khorami; Translated by: Sami U. OMARI

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