The Story of Khatera from Ghazni who was blinded by her father

Khatera is a 26 years old woman from Ghazni Afghanistan. She didn't go to school because her father didn't let her. For Khatera’s father, who according to her was an extremist and very religious person going to school was an anti-Islamic act. When Khatera got married she wanted to have a job and help her husband with finances of their home because her husbands salary alone was not enough for everything. Her husband allowed her to go to work. Later, with the help of one of her friends she found a job at a checkpoint of a police station in Ghazni. Her father didn't know at first about her job, but he found out after a couple of weeks that her daughter is working now. As soon as he found out about this, he visited Khatera and told her to not work anymore because it is shameful for him to hear from his friends that her daughter has a job and is working to make money. He told her to stop or she would face the consequences of this "sinful action". She didn't take her father's words seriously and continued to work. She said that she loved going to work every morning. She also said that she was feeling excited everyday to wake up, prepare herself and go to work. Her father at the day when he visited her to warn her to not work anymore stole Khatera's Kabul-Bank card, this card was an ATM card through which Khatera was getting her monthly salary. He then took that card and showed it to the Taliban in Ghazni, as Khatera told me, her father showed the card to the Taliban as a proof that Khatera is working and he is against this. He asked Taliban to kill her.

A few days later, when Khatera was getting out of her office to go back home, she was attacked by a group of armed men (later identified as Taliban). The first thing they did was to stab Khatera in both of her eyes… Then they stabbed her 20+ times in different parts of her body. The sad part of this story is that Khatera’s own father planned this attack. After she was stabbed, she was left there and the men run away because the place where Khatera got attacked was close to the police checkpoint where she used to work. She didn't die but she lost her eyes FOREVER!! Just because she wanted to work somewhere, make money and help her husband. Khatera is now in Kabul with her husband, brother in law and her five kids. She run away from Ghazni and was brought to Kabul by her husband and brother in law. Her family has cut all contacts with her because she appeared in media and told her story and her family thinks she has embarrassed them so they stopped communicating with her.

The last time Khatera saw her father was when he called her, asked her to come to Ghazni because he "was upset about what happened and wanted to see her one last time" when Khatera with blind eyes went to Ghazni and the only thing her father told her was "please talk to the police so the can release me from Jail, they will only do this if you say so" to which Khatera Replied: "There are many other girls and women in Ghazni who are working and you are someone who puts their lives in danger. If you can do this to me and I am your own daughter, you will do worse to other women, I will not forgive you and I am not letting you go from here". I asked if she regretted getting a job she said “Pashtana da Peshman Kezhy” meaning Pashtuns don’t regret their decisions!

Even if the government gives death penalty to Khatera’s father it will not change the fact that Khatera cannot see anymore, she can’t see her children, she can’t see her husband and her life is very hard to manage. Just imagine, not being able to do the normal daily stuff and how would that feel? How are the so called Intra-Afghan Peace talks helping us exactly? This is just one story and a woman dared to share her story while the consequences of sharing her story can even lead to her death! How many more stories like this exist in Afghanistan? Who will take responsibility for such tragic events?

Khatera is now not in touch with anyone from her family, she is not working now, her health is in a very critical situation and she run away from Ghazni to stay alive. Khatera and her family are renting a house now for 10,000afs per month, they need financial support and even though they were promised many things by the government, they have got nothing! You can contact us at Zawia for Khatera's and her Husband's phone numbers, reach out to them and help them if you can. Khatera also now needs new family; new sisters, new mother and new friends who can make her feel loved and supported. Let's do that for her together.

By: Zarlasht Sarmast / Researcher and Project Manager at Zawia Media