Roqia Abubakr

Roqia Abubakr (7 June 1917 – ?) was an Afghan politician, and jointly the first woman elected to parliament in the country.

Biography

Born in 1917, Abubakr married her first husband M. Yousof in August 1933. He died two years later. representing the First District of Kabul City.

She was one of the first six women to be member of Parliament after the 1965 elections: Anahita Ratibzad of Kabul, Khadija Ahrari of Kabul, Ruqia Abubakr of Kandhahar and Masuma Esmati of Herat for the House of the People, and Homaira Saljuqi and Aziza Gardizi for the Senate.

However, she did not contest the 1969 elections.

Abubakr returned to the Ministry of Education, serving as national director of the literacy programme from 1972 until 1973. She was also a presenter on Radio Afghanistan for five years.