Missing Afghan Singer Confirms She Has Left Afghanistan Safely
Zulala Hashemi, a young Afghan singer whose whereabouts had been the subject of months of speculation, has said she is safe and has left Afghanistan after facing prolonged difficulties.
Zulala Hashemi, a young Afghan singer whose whereabouts had been the subject of months of speculation, has said she is safe and has left Afghanistan after facing prolonged difficulties.
Hashemi’s family reported in June that she had gone missing. Her husband, Sayed Mohsen Hashemi, told Afghanistan International at the time that she had left home to visit friends and had not returned, adding that her phones were switched off. He later stopped commenting publicly on her situation.
On Wednesday, Hashemi contacted singer and women’s rights activist Ariana Saeed and informed her that she had left the country. According to Hashemi, the decision to leave Afghanistan was personal and was not facilitated by any specific individual or institution.
She did not refer to her reported disappearance and declined to provide details about her circumstances while in Afghanistan.
In an interview with the BBC, Hashemi said she had faced many difficulties over the past six years and had been waiting for an opportunity to leave the country so she could “raise her voice.” She did not elaborate further.
Previously, Ariana Saeed said in a video message that Hashemi had fled her home because of domestic violence and said her husband had spread false information to the media by claiming she had been abducted. Saeed alleged that Hashemi’s husband was attempting to trace her whereabouts through media reports and social media.
Following reports of Hashemi’s disappearance, Taliban officials said they had detained several of her relatives.
Hashemi rose to prominence after reaching the final round of the Afghan Star singing competition, broadcast by the private Tolo TV, where she competed against dozens of male singers.
