Critiques of Activists Over PRIO’s Nomination of Pro-Taliban for Nobel Peace Prize

Kabul Press^?: While women are entirely erased from education and social, political, and economic activities, and while non-Pashtuns, particularly the Hazara, are struggling with the systematic crimes committed by the terrorist group Taliban, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) has nominated Mahbouba Seraj, a pro-Taliban for Nobel Peace Prize. On Wednesday, 1 Feb 2023, PRIO announced that Seraj is among the shortlisted, besides four others, including the International Court of Justice.
The nomination of Seraj has raised many concerns among women activists, particularly those on the frontline of the fight against the terrorist group that has formed an anti-human government based on one ethnicity, the Pashtun, and one gender, the male.

Critiques over the nomination of Seraj by PRIO directed toward the history of Seraj in enjoying ethnic privilege and doing business with women’s rights. At the same time, she is closely tied to the Taliban and acts as a lobbyist for the terrorist group based on ethnic interests.

Thank you @SimaNoori1 jan for speaking out!

Mahbuba Seraj not only denies Hazara genocide, but has worked tirelessly to legitimise Taliban by undermining million of women and at risk groups. It sickens me that she’s nominated for the Noble Peace Prize https://t.co/elf5oaXzVN

— Zohal Azra زحل آزره (@ZohalAzra) February 16, 2023

Besides the critiques on the misleading activities of Seraj, activists from native peoples, including the Hazara, also criticize Suraj’s denial of the genocide of the Hazara at the hand of the Pashtun ruler and criminal Abdur Rahman Barakzai at the end of the 19th century. In one of her TV interviews, Seraj states she is proud to descend from Abdur Rahman Barakzai. She tries to deny the genocide of Hazara and justify it as a relative event necessary to bring unity to so-called Afghanistan. At the end of the 19th century, under the command of Abdur Rahman Barakzai, over 60% of the Hazara were killed by Pashtun tribes, thousands of the Hazara were sold as enslaved people, and most parts of the Hazara land, Hazaristan invaded and distributed among Pashtuns. The Hazara activists say that denial of the Hazara genocide and defending the genocidal acts committed against the Hazara should be prohibited and considered a crime as it is for denying the Holocaust.
Many activists, including social and human rights activists, criticize PRIO that while this research organization does not know the complexity of the so-called country Afghanistan and is not familiar with the root causes of long-term war, with acts such as that kind of nomination, supports dominant narratives that lead to more war and human rights violations.

Anti Hazara, a Hazara genocide denier, a Taliban lobbyist Ms Siraj accused the the Itl community by not recognising Taliban. She said "how long more it should take TRT" Ms Siraj falsely claiming to represent women of AFG. 90% of Women in AFG declines her as their representation. pic.twitter.com/l4Pu0q7lI7

— Daichopan Azmo (@daichopanazmo) February 19, 2023