• An Afghan boy in Kabul holds a red rose as he looks for money before Valentine's Day. AP
    An Afghan boy in Kabul holds a red rose as he looks for money before Valentine's Day. AP
  • An Afghan boy sells Valentine's Day balloons on a street in Kabul. AP
    An Afghan boy sells Valentine's Day balloons on a street in Kabul. AP
  • A man in Kabul buys heart-shaped balloons from a street vendor before Valentine's Day. AP
    A man in Kabul buys heart-shaped balloons from a street vendor before Valentine's Day. AP
  • An Afghan street vendor waits for customers before Valentine's Day in Kabul. AP
    An Afghan street vendor waits for customers before Valentine's Day in Kabul. AP
  • An Afghan street vendor waits for customers before Valentine's Day in Kabul. AP
    An Afghan street vendor waits for customers before Valentine's Day in Kabul. AP
  • People in Kabul celebrate Valentine's Day in 2019. Reuters
    People in Kabul celebrate Valentine's Day in 2019. Reuters
  • Valentine's Day in Afghanistan. AP
    Valentine's Day in Afghanistan. AP
  • A woman holds a bouquet of roses as she leaves a flower shop in Kabul last year. AP
    A woman holds a bouquet of roses as she leaves a flower shop in Kabul last year. AP

Separated on Valentine's Day: the Afghan lovers with only bittersweet memories


  • English
  • Arabic

Since the first time they met in 2017 in India, Afghan couple Sara Rahimi, 26, and Mohammad Haroon Rahimi, 27, were inseparable.

“We dated for a few years, and after returning to Afghanistan, we got engaged about a year ago. Initially, my family resisted because he is from a different tribe, but after meeting him and his family, we were able to convince them,” Ms Rahimi said.

Both of their first names have been changed but the couple are identified as Mr and Ms Rahimi, which is the name they had planned to engrave on their door after their wedding that they had planned for September last year.

As a young couple in a conservative society, they pushed cultural boundaries.

“Compared to India where we had a lot of freedom, dating in Kabul was a struggle,” Mr Rahimi said.

“The first thing we did was save money between us and purchased a car so we could travel together. We would drive around Kabul, go to cafes and restaurants. You name a restaurant in Kabul, and we have been there,” he said, smiling as he recalled the fond memories

But as fate would have it, the Taliban seized Kabul just weeks before their wedding.

As a development professional working with a USAID project on empowering women, Ms Rahimi’s life came under extreme threat from extremists.

“I come from a very conservative province and my family faced a lot of threats and opposition when I started work,” she says, referring to her struggle during the 20 years after the US-led invasion and subsequent Taliban insurgency.

“But because my family continued to support me I was able to continue my work,” she said, adding that now with the Taliban in power, threats against her were more real than before.

“They see me as an American puppet, and used to call us infidels.”

Afghan women defy the Taliban - in pictures

  • Zakia, an economics student who had to abandon her studies when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, at her home in the capital Kabul, where women are coming together to stand against the hardline regime. All photos: AFP
    Zakia, an economics student who had to abandon her studies when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, at her home in the capital Kabul, where women are coming together to stand against the hardline regime. All photos: AFP
  • She is part of a growing group that started with 15 activists, mostly women in their 20s who already knew each other. Now a network of dozens of women work in secret to organise protests.
    She is part of a growing group that started with 15 activists, mostly women in their 20s who already knew each other. Now a network of dozens of women work in secret to organise protests.
  • Hoda Khamosh, a published poet and former NGO worker who organised workshops to help empower women, vets newcomers to the group to ensure they can be trusted.
    Hoda Khamosh, a published poet and former NGO worker who organised workshops to help empower women, vets newcomers to the group to ensure they can be trusted.
  • One test she sets is to ask them to prepare banners or slogans at short notice - she can sense passion for the cause from women who deliver quickly.
    One test she sets is to ask them to prepare banners or slogans at short notice - she can sense passion for the cause from women who deliver quickly.
  • Other tests yield even clearer results. Hoda says one potential recruit was given a fake date and time for a demonstration. The Taliban turned up ahead of the supposed protest, and all contact was cut with the woman suspected of tipping off officials.
    Other tests yield even clearer results. Hoda says one potential recruit was given a fake date and time for a demonstration. The Taliban turned up ahead of the supposed protest, and all contact was cut with the woman suspected of tipping off officials.
  • A core group of the activists use a dedicated phone number to co-ordinate on the day of a protest. That number is later disconnected to ensure it is not being tracked.
    A core group of the activists use a dedicated phone number to co-ordinate on the day of a protest. That number is later disconnected to ensure it is not being tracked.
  • "We usually carry an extra scarf or an extra dress. When the demonstration is over, we change our clothes so we cannot be recognised," says Hoda.
    "We usually carry an extra scarf or an extra dress. When the demonstration is over, we change our clothes so we cannot be recognised," says Hoda.
  • She has changed her phone number several times and her husband has received threats. "We could still be harmed, it's exhausting. But all we can do is persevere," she says.
    She has changed her phone number several times and her husband has received threats. "We could still be harmed, it's exhausting. But all we can do is persevere," she says.

After nine days under the Taliban regime, with Ms Rahimi staying in hiding, she received a call from her American employers advising her to get to the airport for evacuation.

However, as a single unmarried woman, she could not take Mr Rahimi with her since he was not her legal partner. Compounding the problem, as an NGO worker he was not directly employed by the US and was therefore not eligible to be flown out, despite the threats to his life.

“But he insisted that I leave and he will try to come after me. But it has been over five months and so far we’ve had no luck on getting him here,” she said, breaking down in tears.

“I miss my city. I miss its dusty roads. I miss the food. But most of all, I miss him so much. We have never been separated this long.”

Kabul was our city of love but without her this city is meaningless. I am miserable
Mohammad Haroon Rahimi

In Kabul, Mr Rahimi finds himself connected with her in love and grief. “We loved the life we were building here. Kabul was our city of love but without her this city is meaningless. I am miserable, I lost everything overnight,” he said.

The Rahimis are not alone in their loss; in the chaos of the evacuations that followed the fall of Kabul, many Afghan families, particularly young couples, found themselves torn apart and strewn across the world.

The separation is now taking an emotional toll, Afghan mental health professionals say. “Long distance relationships are hard as it is, but mixed in with the trauma of dealing with the loss of their country, identity and loved ones, it’s bound to take a toll on relationships and individual mental health,” Dr Hadi Rasooli, an Afghan mental health expert, told The National.

Dr Rasooli has many years of experience in counselling vulnerable individuals to cope with trauma endured during conflict in Afghanistan. He stressed the long-term emotional damage separations could cause to a person already undergoing trauma.

“Particularly in the case of Afghans who are culturally conditioned to find comfort in large families, separation from someone they love can cause dissociation, where they struggle to fill the vacuum created by the sudden and unplanned loss,” he explained, adding that he was witnessing similar mental health issues arise among the recent groups of Afghans who were forced to flee.

Separation has been hard on the Rahimis.

Sometimes he cries over the phone and it breaks my heart. I don’t know when we will be reunited
Sara Rahimi

“It is challenging; we cannot always talk because of the time difference. He is emotionally exhausted. He lost his job when the NGO he worked at shut down. Sometimes he cries over the phone and it breaks my heart,” Ms Rahimi said.

She is constantly worried the Taliban might hurt him for his work with foreigners. “I don’t know when we will be reunited. Sometimes I think I made a mistake by leaving him behind,” she said.

However, Mr Rahimi insists they made the right decision. “I am so happy she is out of this country. It is the worst place for a woman to be. It is not easy to live a life like this under the Taliban. But I am happy that at least she is out,” he said.

Dr Rasooli said that in recent years, younger Afghans such as the Rahimis had increasingly been exercising their own agency in choosing their partners, a previously rare practice.

“This was particularly empowering for women who felt they had a say in their lives and built stronger, healthier relationships,” he said.

The Taliban take over of Afghanistan - in pictures

  • A Taliban fighter prays next to a demonstration organised by the Afghan Society of Muslim Youth, demanding the release of frozen international money in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
    A Taliban fighter prays next to a demonstration organised by the Afghan Society of Muslim Youth, demanding the release of frozen international money in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
  • A Taliban fighter and a group of Afghan men attend Friday prayers in Kabul. AP Photo
    A Taliban fighter and a group of Afghan men attend Friday prayers in Kabul. AP Photo
  • Taliban soldiers in Bagram Air Base in Parwan. Reuters
    Taliban soldiers in Bagram Air Base in Parwan. Reuters
  • Taliban soldiers Seifatollah and Vasighollah stand in a prison in Bagram Air Base. Reuters
    Taliban soldiers Seifatollah and Vasighollah stand in a prison in Bagram Air Base. Reuters
  • Taliban patrol Kabul. EPA
    Taliban patrol Kabul. EPA
  • Vahdat, a Taliban soldier and former prisoner, stands next to exercise equipment in Bagram Air Base. Reuters
    Vahdat, a Taliban soldier and former prisoner, stands next to exercise equipment in Bagram Air Base. Reuters
  • A Taliban fighter stands guard near Zanbaq Square in Kabul. AFP
    A Taliban fighter stands guard near Zanbaq Square in Kabul. AFP
  • Taliban fighters police a road in Herat. AFP
    Taliban fighters police a road in Herat. AFP

Over the years, since the fall of the Taliban, the culture around dating in Afghanistan evolved, albeit at a very slow pace and largely restricted to the urban centres. It was not uncommon to find Valentine’s Day paraphernalia around the markets and restaurants in Kabul in the days preceding February 14.

The historical Koch-e-Gul-Faroushi (Flower Street) in the heart of Kabul would light up with decorations and thousands of innovative flower arrangements luring the young crowds, to celebrate the western-inspired day of love.

“During Valentine’s Day, we would both take days off and go out for a fancy lunch. And then we would go shopping, and I would shower her with gifts and she would do the same,” Mr Rahimi said.

However, the Taliban, known for their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, are unlikely to allow an environment that fosters such companionship.

“It takes away the power from the youth, and women and I speculate that we will see many emotional divorces, if not actual divorces in the coming years,” Dr Rasooli said, explaining that emotional divorces are state of mental resignation from the relationship when a person feels hopelessness and lack of control over their lives.

The Rahimis are determined not to let that happen to them.

Ms Rahimi said that she was working to get her partner into the US. However, immigration bureaucracy and strict rules for Afghans had made it extremely difficult for the couple to reunite.

“It might take years before she receives her documents that will allow her to sponsor me, and even then she might not be able to seek a family reunification since legally we do not belong to each other. But emotionally, we are one soul,” Mr Rahimi said.

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:

Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.

Kamindu Mendis bio

Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis

Born: September 30, 1998

Age: 20 years and 26 days

Nationality: Sri Lankan

Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team

Batting style: Left-hander

Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Fixtures and results:

Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.6-litre turbo

Transmission: six-speed automatic

Power: 165hp

Torque: 240Nm

Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)

On sale: Now

The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press 

Results

Men's finals

45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.

51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. ​​​​​​​54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.

57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.

63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.

71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg:​​​​​​​ Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).

81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.

91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.

Women's finals

45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.

51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.

57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.

63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).

Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

RESULTS

6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko

7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor

20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill

8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara

9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Contracted list

Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.

 

 

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Updated: February 14, 2022, 7:44 AM