NL Interview: Afghan MP on living under Taliban rule and watching her president flee

On August 15, the Taliban took control of Kabul, concluding their rapid sweep to power in Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghani, the president backed by the United States and its allied nations that had invaded Afghanistan 20 years earlier and just withdrawn their soldiers, fled the country.

Three days later, as the dust began to settle on the likely picture of Afghanistan under Taliban rule, we spoke with Farzana Kochai, who was one of the few female members of the newly defunct Afghan parliament. First elected in 2019, Farzana is known to have fought for the inclusion of women in public life and against discrimination of minorities in the country.

Today, despite the danger she potentially faces from the Taliban, she has decided to speak her mind.

Farzana, 29, speaks with Nidhi Suresh about living under the Taliban’s rule, what she felt watching American president Joe Biden defend his pullout of the country’s forces from Afghanistan, what the streets of Kabul look like now, and what the future might hold for Afghani women.

Watch.