Women’s Protest Movements Coalition:“Fawzia Koofi Exploits Protesters’ Struggles for Her Own Political Gain”

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The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan’s Women’s Protest Movements has voiced strong opposition to what it describes as the “intervention, distortion, and political exploitation” of women’s protest efforts by Fawzia Koofi.

On Tuesday (1 July), members of the coalition held a protest gathering in Islamabad, Pakistan, stating that Fawzia Koofi, former member of Afghanistan’s parliament, is attempting to turn grassroots women’s movements into tools for personal and party propaganda.

The coalition’s statement reads: “Fawzia Koofi is one of the failed faces of the previous power structure; a system that led Afghanistan into corruption, dependence, and collapse.” It adds that the continued presence of such figures in the media, instead of amplifying the voices of genuine protesters, only recycles failed past narratives.

The statement stresses that Fawzia Koofi has never been a representative of the protesting women and is instead seeking to exploit the pain and suffering of Afghan women for her own political gain. The coalition further noted that while many women have paid a high price for freedom through protests, imprisonment, and exile, Koofi is attempting to use these sacrifices for her personal branding and political leverage.

The coalition also called on media outlets to refrain from labeling individuals or groups affiliated with Koofi’s institutions or networks as part of the “protest movement” or “protesters.”

The statement concludes: “True protest movements arise from the direct will of oppressed, imprisoned, exiled, and voiceless women, not from pre-designed political agendas.”