Paola Mohammed: I really feel they should be paid at least that much. I was surprised when I saw that in an article in the Guardian. If I’m being fair, they’ve done a nice job and done lots of work. But why do they really not deserve more than that? I’m a human rights activist, the whole point of this project is to improve the quality of life in the country and it’s getting worse. The work they’re doing there is great and I’m proud to sit in the boardroom of a company that’s one of the leading companies in the region. And to talk about the things that we’d be able to do for us, we have very much the same problem in Afghanistan.

The Guardian: You mentioned the US military. Do you feel there is sufficient support and commitment from Congress to keep the program going?

Mohammed: Yes, that’s true. There are people like me who spend most of their time advocating on the side of human rights in the Middle East. But we all just see the same reality. I was in Washington on this issue on behalf of Al Jazeera, and this issue was not on the agenda because it wasn’t part of the war in Afghanistan. I think that there was more awareness of it, but that’s just because it was less controversial [than the other issues]. I just hope somebody with more clout will do something, because it’s not being done.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Follow Arsalan Iftikhar on Twitter: @arfikhar