Afghanistan

Siddiq Siddiqi is a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior and head of its public relations unit. He is young, hardworking, serious, and optimistic about Afghanistan’s future. His focus is very much on bringing young people into politics.

Dr Faramarz Tamana is Head of the Strategic Studies Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also leads the Afghanistan Institute of Higher Education and teaches International Relations.

Duniya Mohsini is a university lecturer. She has been teaching for the last 12 years and is much liked by her students. Currently, she is doing a Ph.D. course in literature at a university in Tajikistan. She has been a frequent contributor to Rah-e Madaniyat Daily.  

What can we make out of a deadlocked electoral result, with seemingly contradictory stories from the candidates? A graphical analysis shows: Ghani's second round numerical victory was brought about by finding 1.3 million new votes and depositing them in key spots.

Officially there are no legal obstacles to women participating in politics in Afghanistan. However only one woman registered as a presidential candidate among many men, making discrimination against women in Afghan politics obvious.

Yaseen Samim is a politician and the spokesperson for the "Solidarity Network for Change". He hopes for the engagement of the new generation and a professionalization of politics in Afghanistan.

Basigul Sharifi writes poems about love and tragedy in life. She has experienced the life of a refugee and is a sensitive, calm but highly motivated person. In the interview she talks to us about poetry, peace and suffering.

Jawad Jawed is head of public relations at the Office of Administrative Affairs. We talked to Jawad as part of our feature on 'Young Politicians.'

The Karzai era has been given a moderate appraisal. But the Afghan president alone isn't responsible for everything he's being accused of. The West must take part of the blame too.