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Women's woes in Afghanistan

I read with dismay the report by John Jennings titled " 'No worries' near Herat" (World, Monday). I have lived in Afghanistan for 18 months. The depiction of Ismail Khan as a benevolent leader of the Herat province and of the security in the district were so far from the truth, I'm caused to pause and wonder how effective this journalist's investigative skills are.

As for the comment, "Unaccompanied women stroll fearlessly at night in city parks," I would suggest that nobody "strolls" in city parks, let alone at night, let alone an unaccompanied woman.

Indeed, if an unaccompanied woman did stroll the parks at night, the more likely scenario is that she would be picked up by Mr. Khan's "police" (for want of a better term) and face assault, criminal charges, jail or worse.

We all hope Afghanistan's recovery will change Afghan women's lives for the better, but accurate reporting of the situation would better motivate governments and individuals to furnish their support and resources.

If you want to read about Mr Khan's history of human rights abuses, particularly against women (who remain banned from driving in the city), plenty of resources are available detailing them. You might start with Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch.

SUZI CHINNERY

Kabul, Afghanistan