She was officially appointed as the mayor of Maidan Shahr in July 2018 by the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani.[10] She also became the youngest mayor in Afghanistan and few sources mistakenly claimed Zarifa as the first female mayor in Afghanistan.[11] However, her term as mayor of Maiden Shahr had to be delayed for a period of nine months due to protests and threats by local politicians about her age and gender.[12] There have been other female mayors in Afghanistan, but in areas generally seen as more culturally tolerant.