The Real First Ladies of Afghanistan

President Ashraf Ghani, after his swearing in ceremony on Oct. 6, thanked his wife in his speech.

"I want to take the opportunity and thank my life partner, Bibi Gul [an Afghan name the Mrs. Ghani adopted when she married Ghani] for supporting me and Afghanistan. She always helped the internally displaced people in the country and I am sure she will continue to do so," he said.

Rula Ghani was the first woman in Afghan history who actively supported her husband during his presidential campaign. She appeared publically on International Women’s Day this year and spoke in Dari to a crowd of Afghan women. "Half of the population in Afghanistan is women. It is clear that the majority should take part in development of our dear country. Women have a lot of potential and many responsibilities. Their activities should be appreciated," she told the crowd.

Rula Ghani was born and raised in Lebanon. She received a diploma from de I’ Institi d’ Eterdus De Paris, France in 1969. She completed a master’s degree in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut in 1974, where she met Ghani, and earned another master’s degree in Journalism from the Columbia University of New York in 1983. She and President Ghani married in 1975 and have a daughter, Mariam and a son, Tarek, together.

Ghani met with prominent Afghan women in early October at Arg, the presidential palace. During the meeting, he accepted their recommendation of forming an all-female board that will advise the government on policy issues relating to women’s rights and women’s participation in social and political spheres. They told the president that thanking his wife during his swearing in ceremony clearly shows that he supports women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Heela Najeebullah, the daughter of Afghanistan’s former president, Mohammad Najibullah, believes the first lady can help Afghans in many ways.

"I personally think that the first lady could help Afghanistan through social healing, through education, art, sports, and music. These are the ways, I think, the Afghans need help and focus. I think the best way, in terms of working on issues with women’s rights, is to work with young men. I also think that there are existing institutions, such as Afghan Red Crescent Society and others, that could work in reducing mother and child mortality to ensure that there is an increased access for health care," she told me in an interview in October.

Regarding her mother, Fatana Najibullah’s social and political activities, Heela says even though not much is said about the work and support of the first ladies, they support their husbands all around the world.

"For example, when my father was the president, my mother was the pillar of strength for him. She was his moral support. She was an educator. She also engaged in social work and supported the families of army officers. We were going through very difficult times in the eighties when the fighting was going on and we had very brave soldiers in the army who were wounded. I remember my mother always visiting their families. I can tell from my own experience that a lot lies on the shoulders of the first lady."

Afghanistan’s first ladies were always not publically active but according to Heela Najibullah, the reason of that is the traditional society of Afghanistan.

"I remember how my father had once sent me a beautiful letter when he was at the U.N. compound and I was in school in India, where he explains to me that there is no difference between a boy and a girl and that women are blessed with the same capacity. However, it is my society, my conditions and the opportunities I have. Of course I am not a girl anymore, and the point here is that change is inevitable and we do not have to fear it."

According to the activists in the country, Afghans — especially Afghan women — have a lot of expectations from the first lady. For instance, I spoke to Amina Zia Masood, the daughter of Ahmad Zia Masood, Ghani’s special representative in reforms and governance and the brother of Ahmad Shah Masood, who participated in the war against the Soviet Union and later in civil war of the country. Her mother is the daughter of the former Afghan president Burhan Uddin Rabbani (1992-1996), who was in office during the Mujahideen era.

Masood thinks that Afghanistan’s new first lady can work a lot for Afghan women and she can prove to be a role model for the women who want to work for the society. She said: "Women see that the people of Afghanistan are accepting of the first lady. This can be very inspiring for other Afghan women."

Amina Zia Masood talks about her grandmother’s activities during the time she was the first lady of Afghanistan.

"I think my grandmother was public in her own sphere. She did do a lot of humanitarian work. She opened up an orphanage in her home town in Badakhshan province. She accompanied my grandfather in a lot of his missions and she did give advice. I think, to a certain extent, she did get involved where she could. "

Hindia De Afghanistan, the daughter of King Amanullah Khan and Queen Soraya, says that her mother used to work very well in hard times and that she was pioneer in many ways because most of the things were happening for the first time in Afghanistan. She told me: "My mother was the minister of education but she didn’t receive any compensation for the job. My mother opened the first girls-only school in Kabul and then in Kandahar; she opened the first hospital for women in Kabul."

Heela, Amina, and Hindia all agree that the work and support of the first lady must be acknowledged since this has not been the norm previously.

Malali Bashir is a former Fulbright Scholar and a journalist with RFE/RL’S Radio Free Afghanistan in Prague. She is a writer, researcher and artist. Follow her on Twitter: @MalaliBashir.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent those of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.