Will give my shawl in charity if peace comes: Raqiba

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): A woman who lost her leg in a suicide bombing in northern Baghlanb province says she has been struggling with huge problems since her disability and sees peace the only solution to all her pains.

Raqiba, 43, is a resident of Baghlan province, who was disabled on her leg in a suicide bomb blast in 2007 in Baghlan-i-Markazi district of the province.

The attack, which targeted members of the Economy Commission of the Wolesi Jirga, killed six lawmakers and several children and civilians. A large number of other people were injured in the incident.

Raqiba, one of the victims of this attack, in an interview with Pajhwok Afghani News said she was a teacher and was welcoming the Wolesi Jirga members when the incident happened.

“I was injured in the attack and remained hospitalized for several days. One of my legs was paralyzed after my wounds healed, my second leg partially works,” she said.

Currently assistant of Association of People with Disability in Baghlan province, she said she lost her teacher job after her disability.

Raqiba hopes for the establishment of peace in the country and said, “I suffer from serious poverty, my husband suffers from back pain and stays at home, he cannot work, we have eight children and I am responsible for all of them.”

“I spend these days in the hope of arrival of peace which would resolve all our problems,” she said, adding that if there is peace, it would help her children get higher education.

In response to a question, she said her eldest son was a high school graduate but he works as a vendor in Pul-i-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, as there are no job opportunities.

About her economic issues, Raqiba said, “Only my son is the breadwinner for my family, he transfers people’s goods in handcart and earns a little money.”

She said whenever an explosion happens, it makes her anxious and she remembers the explosion in which she was wounded.

Raqiba asked the Taliban and the government to agree on peace and said that war only created miseries for people.

To a question, she said: “If peace comes, I will give my shawl-like scarf in charity to others if I had nothing else to offer at home,” she said.

She also asked the international community to play its part in bringing peace to Afghanistan and pressure the Taliban and the government in this regard.

Abdul Saboor, in charge of People with Disabilities Department in Baghlan, said they lacked enough resources to respond to all needs of Disabled people.

“We introduce 400 people with disabilities for vocational training courses each year to learn skill and earn for their families,” he said.

He said there were a total of 4,500 people with disabilities including 700 former soldiers in the province. Each of these people received 20,000 to 35,000 afghanis grants each year, he added.

According to the Ministry of Martyrs and People with Disabilities, there are around a million people with disabilities affected by the four decades of conflict in the country.

Mds/ma

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