Safe for now but Afghans in Delhi lament a ‘future destroyed’

Besides Afghans on a medical visa, long-time refugees in the country too are distressed as the Taliban’s rapid ascent to power has extinguished whatever little hopes they had of returning to their homeland.

New Delhi: Since the past few days, Nazifa Stanikzai has barely slept. The Afghan national who reached Delhi 10 days ago is overwhelmed by fears for the safety of her relatives in strife-torn Kabul.

Refugees at Afghan Colony, Lajpat Nagar-2, on Monday. Several AFghan nationals reached the Capital over the last few days. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Stanikzai and her family -- her husband and three children -- are among several Afghan nationals who arrived in Delhi in the last few days as Taliban continued their rapid advance across the country.

Stanikzai, who came for medical treatment for herself and her son, never anticipated that the Taliban would take over the capital city of Kabul so swiftly.

“It’s difficult to process what has happened. Never did we think that the Taliban would capture power so easily and everyone will abandon us. It feels like we are living through a nightmare and at some point, someone will wake us up,” said Stanikzai, as she sat along with her family on the steps of her rented one-room flat in Afghan Colony in Lajpat Nagar-2.

A senior government official with the municipal body in Afghanistan, Stanikzai said that returning to Afghanistan is no longer an option as fear looms over the fate of those who worked with the government. “I was a government official with deputy director rank. My husband also worked with the government. All our biometrics and other details must have been accessed by now,” said Stanikzai, whose family lives in Kabul.

She said that though she is grateful for being alive, she feared for the safety of her two sisters who were not married and had jobs. “Two of my sisters have jobs but their employers don’t want them to return. They are cooped up inside the house and cannot step out. If they stop working, there will be no one to support our extended family. Since the Taliban doesn’t allow unmarried women to step out, I am filled with dread for the fate of our girls,” she said, pointing to her daughters. “Their future has been destroyed. The future of our kids is destroyed.”

Her 16-year-old daughter Misbah Zainab, a Class 11 student, has been receiving worrying updates from her friends since yesterday. Her phone is filled with pictures and videos from from their homeland. “My friend shared this picture last night. You can see the Taliban flag outside her house,” she said, showing one of the pictures.

With the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, she seems uncertain about her future. “I wanted to become a pilot, but my mother says that I will not be able to become one in the prevailing circumstances,” said Zainab.

Among other Afghan nationals who arrived in Delhi in the last few days is a 60-year-old who said that he will return shortly. “Since my family is in Afghanistan, I’ll have to return. Until then, I can only pray for them,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Another man, who came to Delhi nearly 40 days ago on a medical visa, said that he is helpless. “People back home cannot step out. They are worried. We are here but worried for them. I have not eaten a morsel of food since yesterday (Sunday) morning,” said the Afghan national, who owns a transport and energy drink company in his country.

He said that the future looked bleak, especially for those who had worked with the government and the US army: “I used to work with the American army and help them with transportation. Members of the Taliban came to know about my business and have been harassing my family, seeking my details. They have issued threats and seek donations. Going back will be akin to walking into a death trap but I have no choice. I will be happy even with meagre earning as long as I am with my family.”

Abdul Salaam, 35, has been living in Lajpat Nagar-2 for the past three years due to a court case in Delhi and now runs a salon in the area. A native of Herat, he plans to request the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other agencies to help him procure a visa for his wife and children. “My wife runs a ladies salon in Herat. With the Taliban coming back, she cannot work anymore. She told me that all pictures of women were removed from the salon. Everything is shut. My two children are with her. There is no certainty about what comes next,” said Salaam.

Besides Afghans on a medical visa, long-time refugees in the country too are distressed as the Taliban’s rapid ascent to power has extinguished whatever little hopes they had of returning to their homeland.

Yaar Mohammad, 40, came to India along with his wife in 2010 as they were compelled to leave Afghanistan in the face of Taliban attacks on his wife, a radio journalist. Since then, Mohammad and his wife are working as translators in the country.

“Life in Afghanistan is suspended. There is no work, no hope, nothing to look forward to now. We never thought that the Taliban will return after decades. My family back home is uncertain and fear-stricken. No one knows what to expect anymore,” said Mohammad.

Pointing to the ripple effect of the Taliban’s takeover, he said that this will result in more challenges for refugees in India.

Translators such as Mohammad were already having a tough time since tourist visas were suspended last year owing to Covid-19 and in the absence of work, many such families are struggling to survive.

“With the Taliban coming to power, all our hopes of going back are now over. People from Afghanistan will stop coming here since flights and diplomatic relations will be suspended. We have not earned a rupee since last year. Since we don’t get jobs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed our children,” said Mohammad.

With moist eyes, he said that it was crucial for India to provide support for Afghan nationals. “India has invested so much in Afghanistan but everything has collapsed now. For the sake of humanity, it should allow Afghan Muslims to get citizenship in the county. If people of other faiths can get citizenship, what crime have we committed? The world has abandoned us,” said Mohammad.