Farida Momand

Momand is a medical doctor and has worked in several government hospitals.^[2] She was a professor at Kabul Medical University.^[1] Her husband was a spokesman for the Northern Alliance which sought to keep the Taliban from power. When the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996, the family received death threats and fled to Pakistan.^[1][3] They returned in November 2001, when Kabul was liberated.^[3] Momand returned to the medical school and was appointed dean. She was also elected to represent female university students and employees.^[3]

Momand was one of more than 400 candidates for Kabul Province in the 2005 parliamentary election.^[4] She was also a candidate for the 2009 provincial election and the 2010 parliamentary election.^[1]

Momand was appointed as Minister of Higher Education in the cabinet of President Ashraf Ghani in April 2015.^[2][5] As Minister, she called for transparency in university examinations,^[6] advocated for women in scholarship,^[7] and supported the launch of the first programs in gender studies and women's studies at Kabul University.^[8][9]

In 2016, the Wolesi Jirga began impeachment proceedings for ministers who had failed to spend more than 70% of their development budgets for the year.^[10][11] Momand was one of seven ministers dismissed over four days.^[1][12] She was summoned to report on her development budget spending for the year and when she did not appear on the day, was dismissed in her absence.^[13] President Ghani called the dismissals "unjustifiable" and urged the Supreme Court to intervene,^[10][14] while CEO Abdullah Abdullah urged the ministers to keep working until the relevant constitutional article was interpreted.^[15][16][17]

Momand is married to Habib Rayed and they have five children.^[3][4]