Shahla Atta
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Shahla Ata (October 20, 1959 – March 12, 2015) 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 ...
politician, congresswoman and one of two female candidates during
Afghanistan's 2009 Presidential election Presidential elections were held in Afghanistan on 20 August 2009. The election resulted in victory for incumbent president Hamid Karzai, who received 49.7% of the vote, while his main rival Abdullah Abdullah finished second with 30.6% of the v ...
. She told DiManno she and her family lived for 18 years in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The Contender Biography published by ''
Pajhwok Afghan News Pajhwok Afghan News () () is Afghanistan's largest independent news agency with its headquarters in Kabul. In addition to 24-hour general news reporting, it also publishes special investigative reports about important topics relating to Afghanist ...
'' has her living in the United States from 1990 to 1994, and living in Pakistan for the remainder of the period 1986 to 2001, where she administered relief to other Afghan expatriates. David Williams, writing in the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'', in 2005, when she first ran for Afghanistan's National Assembly, said her husband had been killed in factional fighting. Rosie DiManno, writing in the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
'' during her presidential campaign, wrote that Ata was the target of a smear campaign alleging the murder of her husband as well as one of her daughters. Ata pointed out to Dimanno that all five of her daughters were still alive. According to DiManno, Ata's husband died in the US in 1992 of natural causes. Dismissing the murder claims, Ata declared: "So, I'm alleged to have killed my husband and my daughter, then I ran back to Afghanistan to avoid American justice? This is what they write in the newspapers. I wish we had a functioning court system so I could sue." All five of Ata's daughters live currently in the United States.


Family and career

A descendant of the Afghan Royal Family she's related to the former
President of Afghanistan The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces. Eligibility and selection process A ...
, Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan, himself, a cousin of
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 ...
, Afghanistan's last Monarch. Ata is a widow and she has five daughters living in the United States. Ata was a Registered Nurse and a trained psychologist, before becoming a
Politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. Elected to the upper house of the Afghan National Legislature
Wolesi Jirga The House of Representatives of the People, or Da Afghanistan Wolesi Jirga (), was the lower house of the bicameral National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, alongside the upper House of Elders. The House of Representatives of t ...
in 2005, she represented
Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
and served on the Jirga's commission for counter-narcotics and its monitoring commission. Shahla Ata and
Frozan Fana Frozan Fana (born 1969) is an Afghan medical doctor who was a candidate in the 2009 Afghan presidential election. Her running mate was Mohammad Nasim Darmand. She had never held political office before. However, she is the widow of Abd ...
were the only two women candidates in the
2009 Afghan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Afghanistan on 20 August 2009. The election resulted in victory for incumbent President of Afghanistan, president Hamid Karzai, who received 49.7% of the vote, while his main rival Abdullah Abdullah finished ...
. Ballot results placed her in the fourteenth place in a field of thirty-two with 11412 votes. During the presidential campaign she has said that if elected, she will carry the policies of President
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 ...
in the 1970s.


Death

On March 12, 2015, Ata's lifeless body was discovered in her house and an investigation has been opened by Kabul Police Department's Criminal branch.


References


External links


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ata, Shahla Afghan expatriates in Pakistan 2015 deaths 1959 births Members of the House of Elders (Afghanistan) Pashtun women politicians 21st-century Afghan women politicians 21st-century Afghan politicians Pashtun politicians