海角大神

Most tables at today鈥檚 banquet lunch at the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel were filled as per local tradition: Men at many of the tables, and women separately at others.

The exception was the head table, where Afghanistan鈥檚 first-ever female vice presidential candidate sat with other mostly male politicians, offering a striking symbol of social change.聽Habiba Sarobi, bespectacled and wearing a pale blue head scarf, smiled as supporters circled around her to pose for photographs.

Before 2001, the mere idea of a woman running for high political office was laughable. Under the Taliban's rule,聽women had to wear all-covering burqas, required permission to be outside the home, and girls could not go to school.

Now, after聽more than聽a decade of聽social and political progress by Afghan women, the idea is reality:聽Ms. Sarobi is sharing a ticket with former Foreign Minister聽Zalmay Rassoul聽on Saturday's聽presidential ballot.聽

She knows what her candidacy means for her country. And, after weeks on the campaign trail, she also knows how far women have yet to go before they hold an equal role in this deeply traditional society.

鈥淸Women] are very surprised, they are very happy 鈥� they couldn鈥檛 imagine that a woman can be a leader, the third highest position in the country,鈥� Sarobi said in an interview.

鈥淓veryone says: You should be our voice in that new government. You should understand our difficulties and problems, and fight for our rights 鈥� that is their message,鈥� says Sarobi, a hematologist and former governor of Bamiyan Province 鈥� another first in Afghanistan. Under outgoing President Hamid Karzai, she served as minister of women鈥檚 affairs and of education.

Each of Afghanistan鈥檚 eight presidential contenders have lauded the contributions made by women. At a Kabul rally yesterday, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai 鈥� a former finance minister with a doctorate in cultural anthropology聽from聽Columbia University 鈥撀�praised Afghan women as 鈥渉eroes鈥� in society who educate聽their families, and therefore聽the nation.聽

Three hundred women candidates are running for provincial council posts in Saturdays's election, with 20 percent of the seats set aside for them. Years of focus on women 鈥� with the women鈥檚 affairs ministry and clear rights in the Afghanistan constitution, as well as gender quotas and women鈥檚 education pushed by Western donors who have spent tens of billions in Afghanistan 鈥撀爃ave had an impact.

Afghan women have continued to break new ground, such as the聽first graduation in 30 years聽of a female Afghan Air Force pilot last year, and in a multitude of other areas.

Sarobi says she has been struck by how women have become an increasing political force, even in some of the most conservative areas of the country. 聽聽

鈥淓verywhere 鈥撀營 was in Helmand, I was in Kandahar 鈥撀燽ut I had a big rally with women in Kandahar, and women in Helmand participated in the same rally with men, and a big part of that were women,鈥� says Sarobi. 鈥淚t seems that now it is acceptable for the people.鈥� She concedes, however, that acceptance by men is 鈥渄ifficult in some places."

As the Taliban continue to target Kabul in a bid to stop the election 鈥� today a suicide bomber killed six policemen just inside the Ministry of Interior compound, the聽fourth such high-profile attack聽in the capital in eight days 鈥� questions have been raised about what happens to women's rights when US and NATO troops leave and donor aid slackens.

Sarobi says the changes are now irreversible in Afghanistan, and growing expectations among women have taken root, regardless of the future status of the Taliban or the scale of Western aid 鈥撀爋r even whether she is elected as vice president. 聽

鈥淥f course the donor aid is less, but we are here, Afghan people are here,鈥� says Sarobi. 鈥淪o we are doing our job, we have to do our job. I鈥檓 sure that [women鈥檚 progress] will continue.