Baraki Barak District

Baraki Barak District
District
U.S. Army soldiers help a provincial mentorship team look for weapons caches near Baraki Barak in the Logar province of Afghanistan in 2009
Baraki Barak District is located in the south-west of Logar Province.
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Logar Province
Time zone	D† (Afghanistan Standard Time) (UTC+4:30)

Baraki Barak District is situated in the western part of Logar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Wardak Province to the west and northwest, Pul-i-Alam District to the north and east and Kharwar and Charkh districts to the south. The population is 101,000(2006). The district center is the town of Baraki Barak - the former provincial capital, located in the northern part of the district in the valley of the Logar River. Baraki Rajan is another important town of this district which lies 4 km away from district center.

The Baraki Barak District Sub-Governor is Mohammad Rahim "Amin". Mr. Rahim replaced Yasin Lodin in January 2010 Mr. Rahim called the first Shura for his newly elected District Community Council (DCC) in February 2010. The 45 member council consists of elected representatives from the five sub-districts of Baraki Barak, religious leaders and five female representatives. The DCC is sub-divided into three sectors: Security, Rule of Law and Development. The female representatives will serve in the Development Sector. According to the Afghanistan Social Outreach Program (ASOP), the community councils will also “strengthen security by fostering community solidarity, provide a forum for conflict resolution and provide quality assurance for sustainable development projects.”

The 8th of March marked the first time International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated in Baraki Barak District. 76 burqa clad women began arriving at the District Center as early as 08:30. General Khatol Mohammadzai was the keynote speaker at the ceremony and the only female General in the Afghan National Army (ANA). General Mohammadzai is also the only woman to be airborne qualified with more than 500 free and competition parachute jumps. General Mohammadzai spoke about the equality of men and women and expressed her hope that other women might follow in her footsteps and also fight for Afghanistan’s future by joining the ANA. The General is also an accomplished poet and has written poetry that proclaims the importance of women. General Mohammadzai’s poems condemn discrimination and harsh treatment of women. Other speakers included Sub-Governor Rahim Amin and a female member of the Afghan Parliament – Dr. Shakila Hashimi. Upon completion of the ceremony General Khatol Mohammadzai assisted in distributing humanitarian assistance to every woman attending the ceremony.