Unique Journalist

'Taliban' - whenever this particular term is mentioned, bitter memories are evoked for many, recalling the 1996 - 2001 regime in Afghanistan. Those who have lived through that period believe it to be a dark phase in their life, where there was no sense of freedom, peace of mind & happiness, especially concerning the women. Fast forward to 20 years later, and things seem to have only gotten worse for them.  After the sudden and unexpected collapse of the presidential government led by Ashraf Ghani, the former president of the country, the Taliban once again came into power, and everyone from around the world watched in disbelief and shock, including me.  Despite being brought up in the west, I still feel strongly connected to Afghanistan, so the drastic change of events troubled me. I decided to keep an open mind and see if the Taliban had improved or had become less difficult. Certain individuals also had a similar mindset too.  Initially, it was hard to predict how t...

Alongside the corona-virus crisis, other things took place that made the year 2020 more dreadful and tragic, having a bitter impact on people living in Afghanistan, especially students & journalists. From the start of November 2020, multiple attacks occurred, all at a short space of time, starting with Kabul university - killing numerous students, all young and full of ambitions. A few days after the devastating assassination of a well established & prominent journalist named Yama Siawash happened. Seeing or hearing about the Kabul University attack had upset me a lot - leaving me in tears twice and then discovering about the murder of such a young successful and talented journalist saddened me even further. I was quite fond of his personality - the way he used to conduct himself as a news anchor and do his job successfully. Moreover, there was something unique about him that would make him stand out amongst other journalists and some well-known faces of Afghanist...

At the beginning of 2020, I was optimistic for it to be a happy, exciting and productive year. Instead, it began with slight sadness & tension but nothing too significant or life-changing. Yet again, it may have been a warning to what was to come & have a life-changing impact on everyone around the world. The first few months went exceptionally well for me - from January until mid-March: got a job at an office environment - journalism-related and attended numerous outings. 😁💪 But from then on life, started to take a turn for the worst & went downhill. It was an unexpected turn of events - very baffling for many, including myself. All this was due to a horrible & life-threatening virus knowns as Corona or Covid - 19.   Suddenly restrictions came in place in the UK and, everyone was anxious and concerned at the sudden & worrying situation. I was very annoyed that I could not do the things I would do daily, including going to the gym - an activity I'm very much f...

It's one thing hearing about critical times and another having to live it. We have all heard stories about periods or countries having experienced numerous discomfort or danger. Though Diana never thought in her wildest dreams, it would become her reality too - especially in an advanced country such as the UK, London. Freedom and free will, something we value dearly and don't usually give much thought to as it is automatically given what with being in advanced countries, had become quite limited due to a hazardous virus called COVID 19. A virus that has possibly originated from China and caused too much disturbance around the globe. Towards the end of March 2020 was when Diana's lifestyle began to change drastically due to covid restrictions - the daily activities she would do and the freedom she had was no longer accessible.  Due to the new rules put in place by the government and family concerns, Diana had to stay indoors more than usual - not go out to the gym, meet up w...