A former Afghan MP and her bodyguard have been shot dead at her home in the capital Kabul, Afghan police have said. Mursal Nabizada, 32, was one of the few female MPs who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Her brother and a second security guard were wounded in the attack. Former colleagues praised Ms Nabizada as a "fearless champion for Afghanistan" who turned down a chance to leave the country. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women have been removed from nearly all areas of public life.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said security forces had started a serious investigation into the incident. Former lawmaker Mariam Solaimankhil said Ms Nabizada was "a true trailblazer - strong, outspoken woman who stood for what she believed in, even in the face of danger". "Despite being offered the chance to leave Afghanistan, she chose to stay and fight for her people," she wrote on Twitter.

Ms Nabizada, from the eastern province of Nangarhar, was elected as a member of parliament from Kabul in 2018 and stayed in power until the Taliban takeover. She was a member of the parliamentary defence commission and worked at the Institute for Human Resources Development and Research. Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, said: "I am sad and angry and want the world to know!" in response to the killing. "She was killed in darkness, but the Taliban build their system of gender apartheid in full daylight."

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP