Independent senator Fatima Payman is facing criticism for campaigning against the war in Gaza while remaining silent on the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan. Payman, who defected from Labor and joined the crossbench in July, has been vocal about the conflict between Israel and Hamas on her social media platforms. However, activist Drew Pavlou pointed out that Payman did not issue a statement when the Taliban banned women's voices in public. Payman, who was born in Afghanistan and fled to Pakistan as a refugee, has previously spoken about the oppression of women by the Taliban in parliament.