Masuma Esmati-Wardak (born 1930), was an

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

writer and politician. She was jointly one of the first women to serve in the Afghan parliament in 1965, and served as

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1990-1992.

Life and career

In 1953 she graduated from Kabul Women's College, and received a degree in business in the United States in 1958.Mattar, Philip (2004). Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: D-K. Macmillan Reference USA. p. 786. . In 1959, she and Kubra Noorzai became one of the first women to appear in public in Afghanistan without a veil after Queen Humaira Begum had removed hers, supporting the call by the Prime minister

Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan (Dari/) also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan; 18July 190928April 1978) was an Afghan head of state, military officer and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 19 ...

for women to voluntary remove their

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

.Tamim Ansary (2012
Games without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan
/ref> In 1964 King

Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammad Zāhir Shāh (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since t ...

appointed her to an advisory committee that reviewed the draft 1964 constitution, which granted women the right to vote and stand for election. In

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

she was elected to represent

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

in the House of the People of Parliament, and became a leading advocate of women's rights. She was the only one of the four women elected in 1965 to run for re-election in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, but lost her seat. In 1987 she became President of the

Afghan Women's Council The Afghan Women's Council (AWC) is a non-governmental, non-profit, and non-sectarian charitable organization that was established in 1986 with the primary objective of providing assistance to Afghan women and children. The organization's core missi ...

. In May 1990 she was appointed cabinet minister of Education and Training in the government of

Mohammad Najibullah Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai (6 August 1947 – 27 September 1996) was an Afghan military officer and politician who served as the second president of Afghanistan from 1987 until his resignation in April 1992, shortly after the Afghan mujahideen' ...

.Emadi, Hafizullah, Repression, resistance, and women in Afghanistan, Praeger, Westport, Conn., 2002 She was one of two women in the cabinet alongside

Saleha Farooq Etemadi Saleha Farooq Etemadi was an Afghan politician. She served as Minister of Social Security in 1990-1992. In May 1990 she was appointed cabinet minister of Social Security in the government of Mohammad Najibullah Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai (6 ...

, and one of the first women in the Afghan government.The first five was Kubra Noorzai in 1965, Shafiqa Ziaie in 1971, Anahita Ratebzad in 1976, Masuma Esmati-Wardak in 1990 and Saleha Farooq Etemadi in 1990.

References

1930 births Living people Afghan writers Afghan feminists Pashtun politicians Members of the House of the People (Afghanistan) Communist government ministers of Afghanistan Women government ministers of Afghanistan 20th-century Afghan women politicians Pashtun women politicians Pashtun women writers People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan politicians {{Afghanistan-politician-stub