On Wednesday, the Wolesi Jirga information icon panel said it investigated the leakage from public indignation of the images of legislator Maryam Sulaimankhel.

Sulaimankhel dances with a man without a scarf on his head, and sits before a table with a bottle of wine on it. In the photos Sulaimankhel, a Kuchi info-icon legislator, can be seen particularly on Facebook in social media. Some people responded strongly and voiced their indignation after the pictures by Sulaimankhel became viral on social media.

Some of the photographers were original while others were wrong, Maryam Suliamankhel said. ‘The thing is that some of my personal pictures, with my cousins, are original. I would like to say that I wouldn’t allow others to mess with my personal problems and I don’t find this necessary to justify to anyone what I did. I have never done anything to embarrass my family in my life. Some images have been leaked from our family’s cell phone and this sort of failed attempt to destroy the character of somebody doesn’t matter to me. We have many other big issues, and my attention is on main national issues.

Secretary of Wolesi Jirga:

Karim Atal, Secretary of Wolesi Jirga, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Afghanistan was a typical info-icon business with an adverse effect on society on their spread. He said, however, that it had not yet been decided whether the pictures were true or false.

He said Wolesi Jirga was reviewing the matter and if the images were found to be original, the legislator would be subjected to internal principles. According to the laws, if the standard of national treason or moral bribery is identified, the Wolesi Jirga Chairman and commissaries decide against a lawmaker. The vote lands in the house and is upheld if it is nodded by two thirds of the members of the house. When asked about the original and fabricated pictures she said: ‘I don’t want to release my pictures. It’s personal, and it’s not fair to discuss my photographs or have a debate.

Ahmadzai Council members’ response

Qader Kochai, a member of the Council of the Ahmadzai Tribe, said he did not know the photographs of Sulaimankhel that had leaked, but adding images of that nature were shameful and would have a bad reputation for both the country and the tribe if they belonged to Sulaimankhel. Ghulam Qader Ahmadzai, another Council member, has said that they are discussing the issue themselves. ‘We will share this with the media if our voice is not heard,’ he said.

Experts in law:

Shahla Farid, Professor of Kabul’s University, said that Sulaimankhel’s images could not be changed. Many politicians indulge in moral misconduct, and it is not just about female legislators, but also about male legislators.’

She emphasised the need to look into these problems because they harm Parliament’s reputation. According to Farid, Suliamankhel should be stripped of her membership of her parliament if quality was found in the Court of Justice. Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar posted the photo of Sulaimankhel on his Facebook page and announced ‘She is a prostitute,’ adding that in the past the unmoral images of Sulaimankhel have also been released.

Larawai Malkgaro, another Facebook user wrote: ‘This is Kochi in Wolesi Jirga’s representative. Is that the degree of modernity of Kochies? Someone wrote on Facebook page ‘Pa Canada Kai Da Afghanistan Committee’ that Maryam was relatives of President Ghani, and she was entirely illiterate. She worked also in a beauty shop in the United States. The photographs of Sulaimankhe’s lawmaker Razia Sadaat said that it was her personal issue and no one should mess with her.