Afridi's campaign office is in the town of Jamrud in Khyber District, northwest Pakistan. Here she coordinates events in local villages. She is running a door-to-door campaign in the villages, visiting all tribal elders, and asking men to break from the past and let women decide on their own who to vote for. She is running against 12 male opponents. The election is scheduled for July 20.

A little girl wears a campaign sticker. Afridi told DW that running for election in a male-dominated society will be difficult, but she wants to provide an example for girls and women by displaying confidence, courage and leadership. Although women are not allowed to join her at campaign events in villages, local children often come along to help.

Forty-year-old Afridi meets with tribal elders in their "Hujra," which is a traditional place for men to sit and discuss. She is the first woman to ever visit a Hujra in the area, as females are usually forbidden entry. A 60-year-old tribal leader told DW that he was impressed at how Afridi is convincing elders to vote for her, and that there are certain problems that women can solve better.

Local shopkeepers gather around Afridi, as she gives a campaign speech at a market and makes her case for why she should represent the district in the regional assembly. Her style of door-to-door campaigning and directly asking for votes in villages, markets and Hujras is a new approach that she thinks will succeed.

Young boys paste Afridi's campaign stickers on a car. Children are helping the campaign by setting up posters and signs in villages and homes in her district. In homes where women are not allowed to have their picture taken with Afridi, children are eager to be photographed.

Afridi told DW that her campaign doesn't go after the competition. Her only wish is to win a seat in the assembly and advocate for the region's women. A social worker from the tribal areas told DW that society can create problems for tribal women; women aren't encouraged to get educated and stand up for their rights. He hopes that Afridi will win and make the district proud.

Afridi's campaign makes a statement for women in a region where girls are not allowed to attend school and men tell women who to vote for. Here a young student takes a selfie with Afridi. He told DW he supports her and will encourage his female family members to vote for her. "We believe this will be a positive change in tribal areas and we are in dire need of female candidates in the assembly."

The Haqqani Network was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. In 1995, the Haqqani Network allied with the Taliban and the two groups captured the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996. In 2012, the US designated the group a terrorist organization. On September 4, 2018, the Taliban announced that Jalaluddin passed away after a long illness.

Jalaluddin Haqqani was born in 1939 in the Afghan province Paktia. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, which was founded in 1947 by the father of one of Pakistan's most prominent religious leaders, Maulana Sami ul Haq. Darul Uloom Haqqania is known for its alleged ties with the Taliban and other extremist groups.

Jalaluddin was made minister for Afghan tribal affairs under the Taliban rule. He remained in the post until the US toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. After the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin was considered the most influential militant figure in Afghanistan. Jalaluddin also had close links with the former al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.

Security experts say the command center of the group is based in Miranshah city of Pakistan's North Waziristan region along the Afghan border. US and Afghan officials claim the Haqqani Network is backed by the Pakistani military, a charge denied by Pakistani authorities. Washington says the group's fighters launch attacks on foreign and local troops and civilians inside Afghanistan.

It is believed that Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2015, but his group denied those reports at the time. The network is now headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Jalaluddin's son. Sirajuddin is also the deputy chief of the Taliban.

Although there isn't much credible information available about Sirajuddin Haqqani, security experts say he spent his childhood in the Pakistani city of Miranshah. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, situated in Peshawar's suburbs. Sirajuddin is believed to be an expert on military affairs. Some analysts say Sirajuddin's views are more hard line than his father's.

One of Jalaluddin's sons is Anas Haqqani, whose mother hailed from the United Arab Emirates. He is currently in the custody of the Afghan government and is facing the death penalty. The Haqqani Network has warned Kabul of dire consequences if Afghan authorities hang Anas Haqqani.

Research institutes and Afghan affairs experts say the group has between three and ten thousand fighters. The network allegedly receives most of its funding from the Gulf countries. The Haqqani Network is also involved in kidnappings and extortion through which it funds its operations.

The Haqqanis have close relations with other regional and international terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Central Asian Islamist groups. Jalauddin Haqqani was not only close to bin Laden, but also had ties with al Qaeda's current chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.