KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Nusrat Parsa, a Taliban official, is under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that he sexually assaulted a young girl in Afghanistan’s central Daikundi province. Parsa has denied the accusation, describing the incident as a “misunderstanding.”
Initial reports stated that Parsa, who works as the financial director for the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, assaulted the girl on August 23 in the Korgeh area of Khadir district. Allegedly, Parsa threatened the girl and took her to a secluded area, where he raped her.
However, Parsa refuted the claims on Wednesday.
Speaking to KabulNow, one of the girl’s relatives also denied allegations of sexual assault by Parsa. According to the girl’s relative, the conflict occurred because Parsa asked for the girl’s phone number, which led to a heated argument. Parsa, however, denies asking for the number.
According to Parsa, the incident occurred while he was on a phone call near his home. He says the girl mistakenly thought he was speaking to her. She then contacted her brother, alleging harassment.
The girl’s brother arrived at the scene, but no significant confrontation followed. The dispute later escalated to the local market, where Parsa allegedly apologized. However, Parsa denies this, calling the claims “completely false.” He emphasized that the matter was only a “verbal dispute.”
Parsa has urged his accusers to present evidence to legal authorities. He warned against spreading “baseless accusations.” A relative of the girl suggested that Parsa’s opponents are behind the allegations, attempting to tarnish his reputation.
There were also claims that Parsa threatened the girl’s family to stop them from filing a complaint.
Local Taliban police in Khadir reportedly investigated the matter and dismissed the assault allegations.
Despite the ongoing controversy, local Taliban officials in Daikundi have not made any public statements on the matter.
Reporters from KabulNow have reached out to Taliban police and provincial spokespeople in Daikundi but received no response.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, there have been numerous accusations of sexual assault across Afghanistan.
A recent report by Afghan Witness documented 700 cases of gender-based violence, with 422 allegedly involving Taliban members. The report noted at least 75 cases of sexual assault or rape and warned that the actual number could be higher due to underreporting. There have also been reports of sexual assault in Taliban prisons.
