VZCZCXRO9094
PP RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #2458/01 2531410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091410Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5437
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002458 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, G/WI 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/DCHA/DG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV GWI AF DRL
SUBJECT: MFA CHIEF OF STAFF: SMART ADVOCATE FOR AFGHAN WOMEN 
 
KABUL 00002458  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1.(U) SUMMARY. On September 4, POLOFF and recently hired MFA 
Chief of Staff Manizha Bakhtary discussed Bakhtary's role as 
MFA's highest ranking woman and her thoughts on how to 
strategically advance women's rights in Afghanistan. She 
favors increasing economic opportunities for women rather 
than the workshop-centric gender rights approach used by many 
NGOs. Afghan women particularly in cities are better off now 
than under the Taliban, she said. She emphasized, however, 
that many barriers to equality remain, even for educated, 
professional women.  END SUMMARY. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
2.(SBU) FM Spanta hired Bakhtary two months ago, and as Chief 
of Staff, she will exert influence over MFA executive 
operations. While she has not met overt resistance from MFA 
colleagues, she is careful to play by the rules imposed on 
women by a conservative Muslim society. She said that FM 
Spanta would like to hire more women at the MFA, but he 
recognizes he would face resistance from other high-ranking 
MFA officials. According to Bakhtary, there are only three 
management-level female employees at the MFA. Of the total 
staff, only 15% are women. She attributed her colleagues, 
acceptance of her in her current position in part due to the 
fact that she is the daughter of famous Afghan poet Wasif 
Bakhtary and also because she is the well-known author of 
three books. 
 
3.(SBU) Bakhtary is new to government, having a background as 
an author, journalist, and NGO executive. She still holds a 
full professorship of journalism at Kabul University. She is 
considering a future run for Parliament. She characterized 
running for office in Afghanistan as a political game, and 
was unsure that she could attract the powerful male backers 
she needed to win. 
 
BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS 
 
4.(U) Bakhtary noted that women in Afghan cities can walk 
unaccompanied, drive cars, and go out without a burqa. She 
expressed frustration, however, with the continued barriers 
faced by female professionals.  In her journalism classes of 
50 students, only 10 are women. Of that 10 she expects only 
one or two to actually work as journalists due to their 
families prohibiting them from performing essential reporting 
tasks such as interviewing men and reporting outside of 
daylight hours. 
 
5.(SBU) Bakhtary commented that even women who hold 
high-level government positions are often not strong 
advocates for women's causes. Only a couple of female MPs are 
active and almost all others follow the lead of male 
counterparts. Many female MPs lack an educational and 
professional background that would empower them to act 
independently. Bakhtary thinks Minister of Women's Affairs 
Ghazanfar is also an ineffective advocate for Afghan women. 
Ghazanfar comes from a conservative, fundamentalist family 
and her background negatively influences her job performance. 
Specifically, Ghazanfar thinks that it is men's role to 
delegate certain freedoms to women rather than women having 
an inherent right to those freedoms. 
 
STRATEGY FOR CHANGE 
 
6.(U) Bakhtary argued that the lack of economic opportunities 
available to women and the conservative Afghan social 
structure combine to create an effective barrier for progress 
on women's rights. She disagrees with how many NGOs try to 
address women's issues through workshops on gender rights 
because she believes that for the vast majority of Afghan 
women, this approach is ineffective. Projects that focus on 
increasing economic opportunities for women and men have much 
more potential to improve the lives of Afghan women. 
 
7.(U) Bakhtary said the dearth of women qualified to 
interpret the Koran and other Islamic texts is also a barrier 
to changing women's social status. When more women are 
educated and can authoritatively state what the Koran does 
and does not say about women, that achievement will be a huge 
driver for changing society's attitudes towards women. 
 
 
KABUL 00002458  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
8.(U) COMMENT. Bakhtary sees her approach to advancing 
women's rights as being in tune with the realities of Afghan 
culture. Bakhtary wishes to partner with Embassy and USAID. 
Post will include Bakhtary in future Embassy functions and 
encourages the Department to keep Bakhtary in mind for any 
relevant international events. END COMMENT. 
WOOD