Even though women’s driving licenses have been suspended in Herat province, some women and girls are driving freely in Herat city.
Shiama Wafa is one of dozens of female drivers in Herat. she is a journalist and it has been over ten years that she has been driving. She says that she goes out of her house every day with her car and there are no restrictions for her.
“It is very pleasing and helpful for me that I have the talent and ability to take care of my work and go to work in my own car,” Shiama Wafa told TOLOnews.
According to Wafa, driving in a traditional city like Herat has not been easy for women and girls. “It has been many years since we have been allowed to do the same as men who drive and solve their problems,” Shima added.
Since the political change in the country, driving education and the distribution of driving licenses to women and girls in Herat have stopped. Herat Traffic Management said it is waiting for the order of the General Directorate of Traffic to resume driving licenses for women.
“In the early days, we distributed several licenses (driver’s licenses) to those who applied for in the previous government, But in this government, we did not have any courses for women, and this is suspended until the next order,” said Omid Muntaqem, the director of Herat Traffic Management.
But local officials in Herat said there are still no restrictions on women and girls driving in the province.
“If sometimes some issues arise due to lack of information, no high-level official letter has been sent about it and nothing has been said about this issue so far,” said Naeem al-Haq Haqqani, Herat’s director of information and culture.
The presence of women drivers in recent years in the city of Herat has become more prominent. Although Herat is a traditional city, there has been no serious opposition to the driving of women and girls.—Tolonews
