Afghan Female Leaders

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 1 
Rula Ghani
(First Lady of Afghanistan (2014 - 2021))
Rula Ghani
6
Birthdate: 1948 AD
Birthplace: Lebanon

Rula F. Saadah Ghani is the wife of Ashraf Ghani who served as fifth President of Afghanistan until his government was overthrown by the Taliban on August 15, 2021. The Ghani family fled from Afghanistan on the same day. Rula advocated for women’s rights as the First Lady and was named to the Time 100 list by Time magazine in 2015.

 2 
Zarifa Ghafari
(Afghan Politician and Former Mayor of Maidan Shahr)
Zarifa Ghafari
1
Birthdate: 1992 AD
Birthplace: Paktia, Afghanistan
Zarifa Ghafari is an Afghan politician and activist. She served as the Mayor of Maidan Shahr from November 2019 to August 2021. Renowned for her efforts to promote women's rights in Afghanistan, Zarifa was mentioned in BBC's 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world list in 2019. She also received the International Woman of Courage Award in 2020.
 3 
Zeenat Karzai
(Former First Lady of Afghanistan)
Zeenat Karzai
2
Birthdate: 1970 AD
Birthplace: Kandahar
Zeenat Karzai is an Afghan political figure best known for her role as the First Lady of Afghanistan from 22 December 2001 to 29 September 2014, during which her husband Hamid Karzai served as the President of Afghanistan. Prior to her wedding with Karzai, Zeenat Karzai worked as a gynaecologist and treated Afghan refugees in Pakistan. 
 4 
Fawzia Koofi
(First Woman in the History of Afghanistan Who Served as Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament)
Fawzia Koofi
1
Birthdate: 1975 AD
Birthplace: Badakhshan, Afghanistan

Afghan politician and women's rights activist Fawzia Koofi is the incumbent Member of the Wolesi Jirga for Badakhshan since 2005. She became the first woman in history of Afghanistan who served as Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament. She held office as Vice President of National Assembly and presently serves as Chairperson of Afghanistan's Women, Civil Society and Human Rights Commission.

 5 
Niloofar Rahmani
(The First Woman in the History of Afghanistan Who Became Fixed-Wing Air Force Aviator)
Niloofar Rahmani
1
Birthdate: September 27, 1992
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Logar Province Logar, Afghanistan

Niloofar Rahmani is the first woman in Afghanistan’s history who became fixed-wing Air Force aviator. She is Afghan Air Force’s first female pilot since 2001 fall of Taliban. Despite receiving death threats, Rahmani completed her training which included training on C-130s with the US Air Force. She received International Women of Courage Award and was granted asylum in the US.

 6 
Malalai Joya
(Afghan Politician, Activist, and Writer)
Malalai Joya
2
Birthdate: April 25, 1978
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Farah, Afghanistan
Malalai Joya is an Afghan politician, activist, and writer. A fierce critic of the Karzai government, Joya is also well-known for her criticisms against Hamid Karzai's western supporters, including the United States. In 2010, Malalai Joya was included in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list.
 7 
Anahita Ratebzad
(Afghan Politician and One of the First Four Women Elected to the Afghan Parliament)
Anahita Ratebzad
1
Birthdate: November 1, 1931
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Guldara, Afghanistan
Died: September 7, 2014

Afghan socialist and Marxist-Leninist politician Anahita Ratebzad is noted as one of the first four women who were elected to the Afghan parliament during 1965 election. A member of People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and Revolutionary Council, Ratebzad held significant positions including as Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council, and Member of the Politburo of PDPA.

 8 
Shukria Barakzai
(Afghan Feminist Politician and Journalist)
Shukria Barakzai
1
Birthdate: 1972 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan feminist politician and award-winning journalist Shukria Barakzai has previously been the Afghan ambassador to Norway. She has been under death threats from the Taliban for her views. She whispered voice notes from Kabul to the UK during the 2021 Taliban takeover and had a narrow escape from Afghanistan.

 9 
Fatima Aziz
(Afghan Physician and Politician)
Fatima Aziz
2
Birthdate: 1973 AD
Birthplace: Kunduz, Kingdom of Afghanistan Afghanistan
Died: March 12, 2021

Afghan physician and politician Fatima Aziz was elected as a Member of the Afghanistan Parliament for Kunduz province during the 2005 Afghan parliamentary election, the first free parliamentary election that was held in Afghanistan after over three-decades. She got re-elected in subsequent elections in 2010 and 2018 and held office as an MP till she died of cancer in 2021.

 10 
Anarkali Kaur Honaryar
(The First Non-Muslim to Become a Member of Afghan Parliament)
Anarkali Kaur Honaryar
1
Birthplace: Afghan
Anarkali Kaur Honaryar is a Sikh Afghan political leader, dentist, physician, and women's rights activist. She is the first non-Muslim to become a member of Afghan Parliament. A well-known human rights activist, Anarkali Kaur Honaryar received the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence for her efforts to help women fight against domestic abuse and gender discrimination.
 11 
Sima Samar
(Afghan Social Human & Women Rights Activist)
Sima Samar
1
Birthdate: February 3, 1957
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jaghori, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan

A champion for human rights and women’s rights, Afghan social activist Sima Samar has also been Afghanistan’s minister of women's affairs during the reign of President Hamid Karzai. The Right Livelihood Award winner is a doctor who has worked for the betterment of Afghan women and children.

 12 
Adela Raz
(Former Afghan Ambassador to the US)
Adela Raz
1
Birthdate: 1986 AD
Birthplace: Afghan

Former Afghan ambassador to the US, Adela Raz also scripted history as the first female politician to be the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations. She continued to serve as an ambassador even after the 2021 Taliban takeover but resigned in February 2022.

 13 
Khatool Mohammadzai
(Afghanistan's First Female Paratrooper)
Khatool Mohammadzai
0
Birthdate: 1966 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Former Afghan National Army brigadier general Khatool Mohammadzai scripted history as Afghanistan’s first female paratrooper. A 35-time decorated soldier, she has also worked as a military instructor. She was also the first female general since the Soviets left Afghanistan. In the Taliban regime of the 1990s, she ran a secret girls’ school.

 14 
Habiba Sarābi
(Ramon Magsaysay Award-Winning Politician and Afghanistan’s First Female Governor)
Habiba Sarābi
0
Birthdate: 1956 AD
Birthplace: Sarab, Afghanistan

Afghan hematologist and politician Habiba Sarābi scripted history as Afghanistan’s first female governor when she became the governor of Bamiyan. She was also her country’s 2nd minister of women's affairs. The 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner has also been a member of Afghanistan’s Peace Negotiation Team.

 15 
Farkhunda Zahra Naderi
(Afghan Women's Rights Activist and Politician)
Farkhunda Zahra Naderi
1
Birthdate: April 19, 1981
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kayan, Afghanistan
Farkhunda Zahra Naderi is an Afghan women's rights activist and politician. Over the years, she has fought against various forms of violence against women. She is perhaps best known for her service as an advisor to former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Farkhunda Zahra Naderi is the recipient of an N-Peace Award.
 16 
Latifa Nabizada
(One of Two Afghan Women Pilots Who Could Fly a Mi-17 Helicopter)
Latifa Nabizada
0
Birthdate: 1969 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Former Afghan Air Force helicopter pilot Latifa Nabizada scripted history as one of the first 2 Afghan women pilots who could fly a Mi-17 helicopter. In 2013, she quite her flying career amid death threats from the Taliban and switched to a desk job at the Afghan defense ministry instead.

 17 
Hosna Jalil
(Afghanistan's First Female Deputy Minister of Interior)
Hosna Jalil
0
Birthdate: 1992 AD
Birthplace: Afghanistan

Hosna Jalil scripted history as Afghanistan’s first female deputy minister of interior. She has also served as a deputy minister in Afghanistan’s Ministry for Women’s Affairs. She was in US for higher studies when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021. She now works as a board member at UNODC.

 18 
Massouda Jalal
(The First Afghan Woman to Run for the Office of the President in Afghanistan)
Massouda Jalal
0
Birthdate: January 5, 1962
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Gulbahar, Karachi, Pakistan
Massouda Jalal is an Afghan politician who achieved popularity in 2002 when she became the first Afghan woman to run for the office of the president. She ran again for the president’s office in 2004 and inspired a generation of women to engage in public life in a society where women's role in politics was previously banned and considered unacceptable.
 19 
Suhaila Siddiq
(Afghan Politician and Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan)
Suhaila Siddiq
0
Birthdate: March 11, 1949
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan
Died: December 4, 2020
Suhaila Siddiq was an Afghan politician who served as the Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2004. Referred to as General Suhaila, Siddiq served in the military as the Surgeon General prior to her role as the Minister of Public Health. Suhaila Siddiq is the only Afghan woman to have held the prestigious title of lieutenant general.
 20 
Fauzia Gailani
(Afghan Fitness and Aerobics Instructor Who Became a Wolesi Jirga Member for Herat Province)
Fauzia Gailani
0
Birthdate: 1971 AD
Birthplace: Afghanistan

Afghan legislator Fauzia Gailani has been a Wolesi Jirga member for Herat Province. She had initially launched a chain of fitness centers and was an aerobics instructor. Forced to marry at 13, the mother of 6 later became a vocal champion of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

 21 
Suraya Dalil
(Afghan Physician and Politician)
Suraya Dalil
0
Birthdate: 1970 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan physician and Harvard School of Public Health alumna Suraya Dalil has also been Afghanistan’s public health minister. She has also been Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN. She has worked with UNICEF and has been the director of the WHO program on primary health care.

 22 
Robina Muqimyar
(One of the First Two Women Who Represented Afghanistan at ‘Olympic Games’)
Robina Muqimyar
0
Birthdate: July 3, 1986
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Robina Muqimyar, one of the first two women who represented Afghanistan at the Olympics, competed during 2004 and 2008 Olympics and drew international-attention for wearing the hijab while running. She became an MP in 2019. After the Taliban seized power in 2021 resulting in fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, there is no-trace of Robina since August 29, 2021. 

 23 
Nargis Nehan
(Afghan Former Politician)
Nargis Nehan
0
Birthdate: 1981 AD
Birthplace: Unknown

Former Afghan minister of mines, petroleum and industries Nargis Nehan was one of millions of refugees who fled Afghanistan during the Afghan Civil War and grew up in Pakistan. She has been the first Afghan woman to be part of the Afghan Central Bank’s leadership.

 24 
Delbar Nazari
(Former Minister of Women's Affair of Afghanistan)
Delbar Nazari
0
Birthdate: 1958 AD
Birthplace: Khulm, Afghanistan
Delbar Nazari is an Afghan politician best known for her service as the Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from 2015 to 2021. She was the last women's affairs minister prior to Taliban's takeover in 2021. 
 25 
Husn Banu Ghazanfar
(Afghan Politician and Poet)
Husn Banu Ghazanfar
0
Birthdate: February 1, 1957
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Balkh, Afghanistan

Apart from being the former Afghan minister of women’s affairs, Husn Banu Ghazanfar is also an author and a poet. She has been a part of the faculty program of Kabul University’s literature department. She has also penned various books, such as The Human Fate.

 26 
Nasrin Oryakhil
(Afghan Gynecologist and Obstetrician)
Nasrin Oryakhil
0
Birthdate: 1964 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

International Women of Courage Award-winning Afghan gynecologist and obstetrician Nasrin Oryakhil has not only headed a maternity hospital in Kabul but has also launched the first Afghan clinic for obstetric fistula repair. She later took over as Afghanistan’s minister of labor.

 27 
Sitara Achakzai
(Afghan Women's Rights Activist and Politician)
Sitara Achakzai
0
Birthdate: 1956 AD
Birthplace: Afghanistan
Died: April 12, 2009
Sitara Achakzai was an Afghan women's rights activist and politician. Her efforts to improve the lives of women in Afghanistan ended in 2009 when she was murdered by Taliban gunmen. Sitara Achakzai was 52 years old at the time of her assassination.
 28 
Qadria Yazdanparast
(Afghan Politician and Poet)
Qadria Yazdanparast
0
Birthdate: April 21, 1971
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan politician, legal advisor, and poet Qadria Yazdanparast has been an Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission commissioner. She has not just headed a law school in Afghanistan but has also organized a women’s rights conference in the country in spite of constant threat from the Taliban.

 29 
Shinkai Karokhail
(Afghan Women's Rights Activist, Politician, and Diplomat)
Shinkai Karokhail
0
Birthdate: March 23, 1962
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Unknown
Shinkai Karokhail is an Afghan women's rights activist, politician, and diplomat. She is perhaps best known for her role as the Afghan ambassador to Canada. She is credited with co-founding the Afghan Women's Educational Center in 1991. In 2002, Shinkai Karokhail became the organization's director, heading its management and developmental programs. 
 30 
Kubra Noorzai
(The First Woman to Serve as a Government Minister in Afghanistan)
Kubra Noorzai
0
Birthdate: 1932 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan
Died: 1986 AD
Kubra Noorzai was an Afghan politician who served as the Minister of Public Health from 1965 to 1969. She was the first woman to serve as a government minister in Afghanistan. One of the most important feminists in Afghanistan, Kubra Noorzai played a major role in reviewing the draft 1964 constitution, which enabled women to vote and stand for election.
 31 
Nilofar Sakhi
(Afghan Scholar & Lecturer of International Affairs at the George Washington University)
Nilofar Sakhi
0
Birthplace: Herat, Afghanistan

An International Affairs lecturer at the George Washington University, Nilofar Sakhi is an Afghan scholar and human rights activist. She is also the founder of Herat’s first women’s NGO, WASSA. She has also been associated with organizations such as McColm & Company and works extensively on human security and peace-building projects.

 32 
Salamat Azimi
(Afghan Politician and Counter Narcotics Minister)
Salamat Azimi
0
Birthdate: 1965 AD
Birthplace: Unknown
Salamat Azimi is an Afghan politician and the Minister of Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan. From 2011 to 2015, she worked at the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, developing methods to protect children's rights in northern Afghanistan. Over the years, Salamat Azimi has been involved in initiatives that aim at helping Afghan people overcome drug addiction.
 33 
Roqia Abubakr
(One of the First Afghan Women to be Elected as a Member of Parliament)
Roqia Abubakr
0
Birthdate: June 7, 1917
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Unknown
Roqia Abubakr was an Afghan politician who became one of the first six Afghan women to be elected as a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan in 1965. From 1972 to 1973, she served as the director of the literacy programme in Afghanistan, an initiative headed by the Ministry of Education.   
 34 
Amina Afzali
(Afghan Former Social Affairs Minister)
Amina Afzali
0
Birthdate: 1957 AD
Birthplace: Herat, Afghanistan

Apart from being a social affairs minister, Amina Afzali has also been a prominent women’s rights activist in Afghanistan. She has headed the Independent Human Rights Commission. While in Iran after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, she worked for literacy of Afghan refugees. She also established Kabul’s first free school.

 35 
Masuma Esmati-Wardak
(One of the First Women Members of the Afghan Parliament)
Masuma Esmati-Wardak
0
Birthdate: 1930 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan author and politician Masuma Esmati-Wardak has previously been a minister of education. She also became one of the first women to be part of the Afghan parliament. She has also served as the president of the Afghan Women's Council and is equipped with a business degree from the US.

 36 
Uzra Jafari
(Afghan Women's Rights Activist Who Was the Country's First Female Mayor)
Uzra Jafari
0
Birthdate: 1978 AD
Birthplace: Afghanistan

Afghan women’s rights activist and politician Azra Jafari scripted history as the country’s first female mayor. While she initially grew up as a refugee in Iran, she later went back to Afghanistan. She contributed to a couple of books, founded an elementary school, and also worked for a cultural magazine.