‘Lost for words’, Afghan women expatriates fear a return to the oppressive past after Taliban takeover

Gurjant Pannu
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 22

Ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15, Afghan expatriates living in India or other countries fear for their extended family back home and how it would impact them.

There are growing fears that it would spell the end for women’s rights and a return to the oppressive past.

The harrowing ordeal as people clung to the US Air Force plane to escape the Taliban regime was heart-wrenching to see.

Many women from Afghanistan who are living as expatriates in other countries contemplate what lies ahead for them and their family and relatives still living in the war-torn country.

'At a loss for words after seeing the situation unfold in Afghanistan'

Sodaba, a 20-year-old from Kabul, who came to India in April 2018, has been studying and working in New Delhi since then.

She is at a loss for words after seeing the situation unfold in Afghanistan.

“Well, it’s very difficult for me to explain how I feel. Words can’t express how saddened I am for the disgrace. The wars in Afghanistan have been fairly constant since 1979.

“Currently as we all are aware of the Afghanistan situation that the Taliban have seized power in Kabul and all parts of Afghanistan, it’s dangerous and fearful for people to go out of their homes, and everyone feels scattered and helpless.

“Mostly I feel bad for women in Afghanistan. It is difficult for them to work or study. They have to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative if they want to venture out of their home. Women and children are suffering the most. People become prisoners in their own country. I feel like America just abandoned and betrayed common people. They kept us in dark and left us in darkness.”

“With this current situation in Afghanistan, I won’t be able to go back to my country. It’s difficult to return and visit our homeland,” she said.

'Going back to Afghanistan is out of question now'

Dunya Bariz, 21, who grew up in Balkh province in Mazar-e-Sharif city, came to India in April 2018.

She joined an English class and worked as a youth club leader in Don Bosco, a non-profit organisation.

She is currently pursuing her higher education in Delhi University in political science honours course.

“The situation is so risky as whole world knows how cruel and dangerous these Taliban militants are. As an Afghan girl, I can feel the fear and pain of my people and especially fear of thousands of girls and women who are not sure about their rights and freedom. Taliban never change, they are the same people of 20 years ago.

“Witnessing this situation in my country breaks my heart and I feel shattered,” she said.

She shared that mostly all her relatives are there in Kabul.

“Unfortunately, they are in a great fear and can’t even get out of their homes. I am worried about them and I can’t do anything for them which makes me really sad. I am worried about my cousins who lost their dreams. My female cousins are not even able to continue their college,” she said.

Going back to Afghanistan is out of question now as you saw how my people are dying especially in airport just because they wanted to get out of Afghanistan, as they know how Taliban is going to treat them, she shares.

“I know the future of my country lies in its youth. So as an Afghan girl and as I have an opportunity of being here, I will do my best and do my studies very hard so that I can change the future of my country,” she said. 

Recounting fond memories of her homeland, she said, “I was born there and grew up there so each and every day was a memory for me. Yes, my country was not developed as other countries but it was like a heaven for me. The first day of school was the sweetest memory of my life.”

'The world abandoned us when we needed them the most'

Rangina, 23, from Kandahar, left Afghanistan in September 2011 during the ongoing war after she lost a family member.

“All I can say about the current situation in Afghanistan is that the world abandoned us when we needed them the most, and it’s the people of Afghanistan who are suffering and losing their lives.”

Based in France now, she recalls her simple life back in Afghanistan with her family but because of war she said they faced so much pain and agony.

“I still remember when I was in 6th class and we were at school in our last lecture and then we got the news that there’s a bomb at the door of our school and that was horrible. We were all so scared as it was the third time such an incident occurred but thankfully no one got hurt.”