KABUL – Women representatives of the National Assembly spoke with a group of influential members of the U.S. Congress via video conference Thursday evening.
The meeting was attended by Acting Minister of Women’s Affairs Hasina Safi, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Women and Human Rights Nahid Farid, Member of Parliament Shinkai Karukhil, and Zohra Ahmadzai Deputy Chairman of the Supreme National Reconciliation Council and Advisor to the First Lady.
On the U.S. side, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mr. Adam Smith and U.S. Senators Mr. Lindsey Graham, Young Kim, Steve Chabot, Andy Kim, and Michael Waltz attended the dialogue.
Afghan women representatives discussed the latest political and security developments, including the peace talks, and shared with the U.S. congresspeople and senators their concerns about the consequences of the withdrawal of the Resolute Support forces.
The U.S. Senators and congresspeople appreciated the exchange of views with their Afghan counterparts and stressed the need to preserve the achievements of Afghanistan over the past two decades. They considered the active participation of women in peace talks and Afghanistan’s future as an inalienable right of Afghan women. They underscored the women’s significant role in ensuring lasting peace in the country.
Members of the U.S. Congress also pledged to share the concerns raised with their counterparts in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the U.S. Government and continue to support and help Afghanistan preserve the achievements of the next two decades.
Afghan parliamentarians termed the withdrawal of forces and continued cooperation with Afghanistan’s security forces the best opportunity to defend Afghanistan independently. They called on U.S. representatives to pay attention to the views of the Afghan people and support women, men, and the younger generation.
Referring to the democratic developments and the emergence of a highly educated young generation in the country, members of Afghanistan’s parliament emphasized the legitimate will and aspirations of the Afghan people not to return to the dark days of the Taliban regime.
They termed the escalation of violence, the continuation of targeted killings, the Taliban’s continued links with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations a clear violation of the Doha Agreement, and the group’s unwillingness to seek a political solution. Women parliamentarians called on their U.S. counterparts to cooperate on persuading the Taliban and their regional supporters to accept an immediate and permanent cease-fire in the country.
