IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a stand for women’s rights. It is a start. Dozens of male citizens, risking life and limb, showed up for a rare rally in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan in response to a social media call to “defend the rights of our sisters”. The call had been triggered by a crackdown by the Taliban morality police targeting women not wearing a burqa. According to eyewitness accounts, the protesters were met with violence from Taliban security forces, though officials denied that force was used. A protester said security personnel had used sticks, whips and firearms to disperse the crowd. A photographer claimed that police fired straight in the crowd’s direction, and that they personally saw “a significant number” of people injured. The Herat police, however, dismissed those reports, describing the protest as a disturbance of the public order.

There is no question that Afghanistan needs an organic, home-grown movement to demand and secure women’s rights in the country. For too long, its people have been caught between the rigid conservatism of the Taliban and alien worldviews implanted during the American occupation of Afghanistan. The difference between the rights demanded in Herat and the rights imposed by Washington is who is doing the demanding. Though the prospects still seem dim under the socially regressive rule of the Taliban, it is nonetheless encouraging to note that the forces that can help push Afghan society towards sociocultural evolution are taking shape without intervention or encouragement by external stakeholders. Of course, there is a lot that still needs to be done. More Afghans will need to demand a greater say in their destiny and assert their rights against those who seek to keep them repressed for things to change. However, such a struggle can bring about a much brighter future for Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026