#TalibanCrisis: Afghans in Delhi worried about family back home

The ongoing Taliban crisis in Afghanistan has left many nationals of the country, living in the Capital, in a state of dilemma since they are stressed about the safety of their kin, but can’t go back to help them.

Ahmad Khan, a teacher from Afghanistan, made south Delhi’s Jangpura his home years ago, and is now among the many who are glued to their TV sets in anxiety as the Afghanistan-Taliban crisis deepens. Excessively stressed about the well-being of his family back home, Khan rues, “My mother, younger sister and elder brother are all in Kabul. They are in a very bad situation, and 24 hours they are inside the house! I keep calling them continuously, to check on them, and to make sure that they are all fine. I am very worried. And we can’t even go there,” rues Khan.

Afghan nationals living in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar and Jangpura say they’re worried about the safety of their kin back home amid the Taliban crisis. (Photo: Shivam Saxena/HT (For representational purposes only))

Many Afghans, who live in a huge cluster in Lajpat Nagar, are worried about the well-being of their kin back home. (Photo: Tribhuwan Sharma/HT (For representational purposes only))

The ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan has left many Afghans like Khan, who are living in the Capital, in a similar state of worry. A Delhi-based student, Zainab Hamidi, who is studying in Jamia Millia Islamia, is also in grave despair regarding the safety of her relatives back home. “I’m unable to contact anyone... My parents are here with me but my relatives, uncle and aunty are back home in Afghanistan, and since Monday, we haven’t had any contact with them! Their mobiles aren’t working. I’m hoping they are all safe. We can only pray for their safety and well-being right now,” says Hamidi, and Sharara Naderi, another Delhi-based college student from Afghanistan, adds, “My parents are thankfully here. Par mere chacha, bua, maasi, sab wahan hain...Woh log bahut zyada dare hue hai. Hum yahan news follow kar rahe hain. We are getting very emotional on what is going to happen now. When I called my cousin, he said he was at the bank withdrawing money, and he burst out crying while speaking to me. Hum logon ne kaha usko ki daro mat. Par hum yahan khud bahut pareshan hain un sab ke liye.”

Sherazuddin Kamalzada, another Delhiite from Afghanistan, says his sister, mother and relatives are stuck in his home country, which has left him with sleepless nights since the news broke. “Woh safe nahin hai. Halat bahut kharab hain. Hum bahut tension mein hain. Woh, abhi airport mein hain since four hours. Wahan bahut problem hain. Unko wapis ghar nahin jana hai, and I’m in touch with them since last 48 hours,” says Kamalzada. And another Afghanistan native who has been working in Delhi for a couple of years, confesses on condition of anonymity that he too is reeling under the horror of the present situation. He adds, “Since last two weeks we haven’t been able to sleep, seeing all that’s going on in my country. The situation is visible on social media and TV. I’m in tears as I say this. It’s a very bad state, and I can’t explain what I’m going through right now. All I know is that my family is struggling there, and I’m helpless here!”

Author tweets @Nainaarora8

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter