Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to our guests. Doctor, it's good to speak with you. I would like to thank you for the work you've been doing and letting us know the status of women in Afghanistan, which is so very important.
For my first question, I want to go back to the history of the review of the Shia law. In your comments you mentioned that this is something that has been in the works for a while but you were surprised when it came to Parliament and then to the president's desk to be signed. You mentioned that you had been in touch with members of the international community, and I know you were quoted in the press as saying that the international community had failed to support women in terms of this law. At the time the review was being done and the legislation was going through, were you in touch with any Canadians on the ground to let them know that this law was being planned? And if you had been in touch with Canadians, what was the response?