Hearing diatribes against the holy warriors by an outspoken female MP, former Mujahideen leaders sitting in the parliament enraged and responded with throwing bottles at her.

Joya dubbed Mujahideen as traitors and killers of 60,000 people in Kabul. MPs and former Mujahideen leaders berated Joya branding her as member of a former communist party and for defaming Islam. With throwing bottles at Joya, the MPs also shouted slogans against her like, "Death to communists."

Joya, known for speaking against the Mujahideen on the floor, also faced condemnation from her female colleagues. The hullabaloo ignited by Joya also marred the discussion scheduled on annual budget that the parliament has to pass soon. 

Defending her remarks, Joya said she was an independent MP, while other linked her to notorious communist party, Sholay-e-Javid, which is believed to be still operating clandestinely.

MPs who stood against Joya said they could not tolerate such criticism by Joya anymore. Mullah Tarakhel, a Kuchi nomad MP said Joya's remarks were not acceptable to anybody in the parliament.  He said even the other female MPs sitting close to Joya attacked her with bottles.

However, an MP from Joya's province and also a former pro-communist governor Khudai Nazar Sarmchar said Joya was right and Mujahideen were responsible for killing of tens of thousands of people.

A member of the Wolesi Jirga's administrative board, wishing to stay anonymous said Joya had brought 'new trouble' along with her after returning from her foreign trips recently. 

He said nobody should be insulted in the parliament as he or she was the representative of his or her people.  He said the lower house then started discussing how to deal with the three-month absence of Joya, who spent the time in Canada.

Joya got popularity after she spoke against Mujahideen in the Constitutional Loya Jirga late 2003.

Zubair Babakarkhel

by/rh