Through a news item in the Frontier Post (7 October 1998) we have learnt that an Afghan woman journalist, Ms Najiba Sara, has survived an assassination attempt launched by bearded, black-turbaned hit-men in Peshawar. Although there is no mention of the Taliban as the perpetrators of this cowardly action, it can confidently be asserted that in view of the ignominious collapse and falling apart of the terrorist organisations belonging to the Taliban's Jihadi brethren and in view of the particulars of the attempt and its perpetrators, there can be no doubt that the Taliban are the culprits. According to the news item, Ms Najiba Sara had on numerous occasions been accosted and threatened on the streets, by telephone and by mail for working outside the house and speaking out in a function in Peshawar marking Afghan Independence Day on August 19 in defence of women's rights. She had also received threatening letters and warnings signed by Maulavi Mohammad Sarwar Mokhlis, head of "Afghanistan Intelligence Agency".

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) strongly condemns this cowardly and traitorous terrorist action of the Taliban. RAWA believes that this cowardly action is motivated --as with the Taliban's predecessor Jihadi brothers-- by the perpetrators' ignorant fundamentalist ideal to deprive our agonised people, and in particular our fettered women, of the last vestiges of human rights and liberties through bringing about an atmosphere of terror even here in Peshawar. True to their nature, these religio-fascist elements cannot remain content with the reign of crime and inhuman atrocities they have unleashed against defenceless Afghan women inside Afghanistan, and must therefore gratify their compulsive psychopathic anti-woman urges in Peshawar under the protection of their foreign masters. By doing so they get the satisfaction of proving that they are no inferior in villainy and criminality to their traitorous Jihadi brothers such as Golboddin Hekmatyar, Rabbani, Sayyaf, etc.

This latest terrorist action of the fundamentalists once again underlines the fact that even the voice of a lone woman --a woman who does not even belong to any political party or organisation-- in defence of women's violated human rights is enough to give nightmares to these cowards. Such dastardly actions can only symbolise the utter contemptibility of those who despite all institutionalised machoistic wielding of the chain and the whip have not and never will be able to fetter Afghan women's legitimate struggles. Women's struggles in Afghanistan are as yet only on a political and revelatory level, but are of such importance and crushing effectiveness that they strike panic in the black hearts of the Taliban and their Jihadi brothers. In the past, too, the Taliban had received staggering responses to Maulavi Rafiullah Moa'zin's baring of fangs to RAWA and had found out that neither RAWA nor non-RAWA women champions of liberty and democracy are the least bit intimidated by their vile threats and cowardly terrorism. This we have proved with the blood of Meena and other struggling women.

The ignorant, democracy-fearing and woman-hating Taliban should understand that they cannot silence Afghan women's cry for national emancipation and human rights through religio-fascist terrorism. In the past their now-chastised brother-in-creed, Golbodin Hekmatyar, had perfected the use of terror to cow intellectuals and women. But his was a criminal exercise in frustration, as he not only miserably failed to "subdue" women but further strengthened the resolve of RAWA and other anti-fundamentalist women to fight this monstrous anachronism. To Afghan women, democratic forces, and entities supporting and advocating women's rights, such fundamentalist acts of terrorism further reveal the odious essence of these alien-dependent enemies of liberty and democracy, and serve to further strengthen their resolve to tirelessly and determinedly carry on the fight against fundamentalism.

We demand the Government of Pakistan to put a determined check on such terrorist forays of the Taliban mercenaries and not to allow such vulgar assaults and threats to defenceless Afghan refugees to compromise peace and security in Pakistan and further besmirch Pakistan's reputation.

RAWA requests all international circles advocating human rights and all pro-democracy forces and individuals in Pakistan to proclaim their support for the brutalised and defenceless women of Afghanistan by openly condemning this terrorist Taliban assault, and under no circumstances to accord recognition to their venal, fascist, ignorant, misogynic and uncouth regime.

RAWA, which many a time has been the victim of such terrorist threats and assaults, firmly believes that it is only through staunch and relentless struggle against the Taliban and all Jihadi and non-Jihadi traitors that the odious existence of fundamentalists can be terminated and a society based upon democratic values can be built in Afghanistan.

Down with Taliban terrorists!

Full strength to women's irreconcilable struggle against fundamentalism!

Long live Freedom and Democracy!