How Western documentary-makers are unwittingly supporting the divisive political agendas of Afghanistan’s Pashtun elite
On 22nd August 2022, Netflix revealed the release date for a “Clinton-produced” documentary called ‘In Her Hands’ directed by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen. The documentary is about Zarifa Ghafari, an Afghan woman, who is presented as “Afghanistan’s first female mayor”, as claimed by HiddenLight Productions’ co-founders, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. It is […]
Afghanistan: The Situation of Hazaras During One Year of Taliban Rule
A year past since the reemergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. It has been a disastrous year for the people of Afghanistan especially the women, the Hazaras, as well as the religious minorities. A totalitarian regime has taken power in the country where every sign of progress is undermined and the achievements of the last […]
Afghanistan Suffering Under the Taliban
High school female students in Afghanistan were left with tears after the Taliban kept girls schools closed, back-tracking from their earlier promise. The schools were to reopen on Wednesday, 23rd March, after the Taliban’s so-called ‘Ministry of Education’ had already made an announcement a week earlier. Nevertheless, many girl students, with unparalleled excitement and hope, […]
All-time Victim: Women of Afghanistan
After 20 years of struggle for democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan, the country turned to a black death hole — hundreds of thousands of Afghans trying to escape the country after the Taliban returned to power on August 15, 2021. Listen to Audio version of this article on Bolaq’s YouTube Channel Though there is […]
Why An Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan is a Harbinger of Chaos?
After only a short episode of optimistic brouhaha, the situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting realistic, and, therefore, obnoxious. The prognostications of a peace deal between Taliban and the representatives of a republic system in the country are now figments of imagination. Taliban, looking at the exhausted international troops withdrawing, appear to be overzealous […]
State-building and Social Contract in Afghanistan
After almost 20 tough years, the United States has realized it needs to rethink the political structure in Afghanistan or the state as a whole since it has failed to preserve a social contract. Or, looking at the scenario, it would be appropriate to say it was never the intention to build the Afghan state […]
US Taliban Deal: One Year On
Last year, on February 29th, the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban which was hailed as a success by some and a surrender, capitulation, and defeat by the critics. What did it achieve for the two sides and the region and the country as a whole? First, a few words about the deal […]
Conversion to Islam: The process of Shi’ization of the Hazaras (part 1)
The question that how Hazaras embraced Islam have been controversial among the scholars of Hazara history and there are different scholars with different viewpoints on this matter, which may not lead us to a specific conclusion, or we can say that these assessments lead us to understand the historicity of Hazaras’ Shi-ization as part of […]
Deportations Despite Escalation in Civil War in Afghanistan
Terrorist attacks, bomb explosions and rocket attacks are not on the agenda in Afghanistan. These are common incidents that take place there almost every day. Afghan security forces are now overwhelmed, and residents are living a life of terror. The world is just watching. Read this article in German language [ Deportations-German ] For more than […]
Sunni Hazaras of Afghanistan
Sunni Hazaras like their Ismaili brethren have been an integral part of the larger Hazara community in Afghanistan. Painful historical events perpetrated by the former rulers of Afghanistan from the time of the creation of the country as a geographical entity onward especially during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman who waged a sectarian as well a racial war of genocide against Shi’ite Hazaras created a distance between the two main portions of the Hazaras.