A Wish for Afghanistan Podcast
1) 10. Kashke
If only - Lyse Doucet talks to poet, former ambassador and former Mujahideen fighter, Massoud Khalili. Now 74, he’s lived through many of the pivotal moments of 43 years of war in Afghanistan. He and...Show More
2) 9. The power couple
An eyewitness account from the presidential palace as the Taliban encircle Kabul. He was the president’s chief of staff, she was the ambassador in Washington. Both were appointed by President Ghani:...Show More
3) 8. The musicians
Keeping music alive under the Taliban - 21-year-old pianist, composer and conductor Arson Fahim and cellist Meena have both had to leave Afghanistan to continue studying and performing the music they ...Show More
4) 7. The doctor
Living with the Taliban - the female doctor who celebrated the Taliban takeover in Kabul. Gynaecologist, ex MP, former refugee, Dr Roshanak Wardak welcomes the end of years of war which she says the T...Show More
5) 6. The journalist
Holding the Taliban to account - Afghanistan’s top TV journalist was offered an interview with Taliban leaders within hours of them taking Kabul. But the editor of Afghanistan’s most popular private T...Show More
6) 5. The advocate
Forced to flee the Taliban - human rights advocate, former government advisor, feminist, Shaharzad Akbar, who knows the transformative power of education, now a refugee again. Shaharzad Akbar was the ...Show More
7) 4. The negotiator
The woman face to face with the Taliban - peacemaker, women’s rights advocate and negotiator, Fatima Gailani is the nearest Afghanistan has to aristocracy. Now in her late 60s, she was the female face...Show More
8) 3. The president
Networker, survivor - Afghanistan's former leader Hamid Karzai, famous for his traditional cloak and sheepskin hat, is back in the news. While others fled Kabul in mid-August when the Taliban swept in...Show More
9) 2. The Talib
Founding member, ambassador, prisoner – in the Taliban’s inner circle at the very start. Abdul Salam Zaeef rose to prominence in the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan until Western forces over...Show More
10) 1. The envoy
Talking to the Taliban – the US diplomat who negotiated the American pull-out. Zalmay Khalilzad has been the Afghanistan point man for three American presidents. Born in Afghanistan, for the last 20 y...Show More