Who Was Mursal Nabizada? Former Afghan Lawmaker Shot Dead

On Saturday, January 14, unidentified assailants gunned down the former Afghan Member of Parliament (MP) Mursal Nabizada and her bodyguard at her residence in Kabul.

The former lawmaker refused to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover. Nabizada was critical of the Taliban's policies and was elected MP under the previous government which was overthrown from a constituency in the Nangarhar district.

Nabizada had been elected as a member of parliament from Kabul in 2019 and was among the few female MPs who stayed in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.

Local police chief Molvi Hamidullah Khalid said that Nabizada and her bodyguard were shot dead around 3 am on Saturday in the same room. Khalid added that Nabizada's brother and a second security guard were injured and a third guard fled the scene with money and jewellery.

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Who Was Mursal Nabizada?

• Mursal Nabizada was an Afghan politician and lawmaker who was critical of the Taliban. She was assassinated at the age of 32.
• She served as a Member of the National Assembly of Afghanistan.
• Nabizada was a graduate of business administration and completed her schooling in Peshawar, Pakistan.
• Women working in prominent positions, such as MPs like Nabizada fled the country after the Taliban took over the government.
• Nabizada was elected as a member of parliament from Kabul in 2019 and stayed in office until the Taliban takeover. After the takeover, Nabizada refused to flee Afghanistan, making her one of the few female parliament members to stay in Afghanistan.
• The former lawmaker was a member of the parliamentary defense commission and worked at a private non-governmental group, the Institute for Human Resources Development and Research.
• Former lawmaker Mariam Solaimankhil described Nabizada as a "fearless champion for Afghanistan" and a "true trailblazer". Solaimankhil wrote on Twitter that she was a "strong, outspoken woman who stood for what she believed in, even in the face of danger".
• Solaimankhil added that despite being offered the chance the leave Afghanistan, Nabizada chose to stay and fight for her people.