Harinder baweja husband and wife

The trip in 1996 remains one of my most claustrophobic assignments. On the very top of the suitcase lay a burqa and other long-sleeved garments that are a must in Taliban territory.

Being an Indian, and more importantly, being a woman were huge disadvantages and the suffocation was not just a physical one.

Harinder baweja husband and wife

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The Taliban had come a long way from the madrasas in Pakistan, from where they were first recruited. The armed gunmen were accustomed only to mosques and battlefields and walked the silk carpets of the palace and the ministries with trepidation.

Arabic translations of the United Nations charter were available but the Taliban had neither the time nor the inclination for diplomatic nuances and international political norms. They had their own code of governance and soon got down to the task of implementing it.

The press was