‘We are in India, Go Back To Sleep’

The upcoming days in Afghanistan will begin a dark chapter in the history of the country. The same can be seen in the streets of Kabul how the locals are reacting to the Taliban’s usurpation of power as thousands flock to the airport trying to flee the country. It is not just bad that the Taliban are in control of the country, the point being, it probably doesn’t get any worse than this.

Among many fleeing the country, this is a story of a 32-year-old Afghan national, who also escaped the country on an evacuation flight to India. Mohammad Khan, who is a father of a young girl, said to the media that his little daughter witnessed the harrowing scenes of the Taliban fighters massacring four people in front of her.

Mohammad Khan is presently residing in West Bengal’s Howrah district along with his wife and two daughters, aged eight and nine. Initially, the family landed in New Delhi but later moved to Kolkata to meet his friend. “After seeing horrifying scenes, my daughter is now traumatised and she cries at night. I tell her to not worry and go back to sleep and that we are in India. I tell her the Taliban are not here and we are safe,” said Mohammad Khan.

He also recalled how his old parents are still stranded in Afghanistan. Khan tried to reach his parents via the Indian embassy and is still making efforts to rescue them. He also appeals to the embassy to save his friends, who are stranded in Afghanistan. He is hoping to see his people on the next flight that will arrive tomorrow.

“My Afghan brothers are in trouble. My mother and father are in trouble. I called them this morning. They said, how did you leave without us? I have to evacuate them too. I am requesting the Indian embassy to save them,” said Khan. The Taliban is an extremist group that believes in the strictest implementation of Sharia law. It is tough for families who have split in these times of the Taliban going to extremes. They can violate human rights and the country’s law and order for that matter.

The Taliban have their own set of rules, their own law that the citizens need to abide by and anyone not obeying is subjected to severe punishment, often leading to death. Khan became emotional remembering his people who are left behind. He added that the Indian embassy officials helped him a lot. He said his life changed overnight. “I lost everything. I barely have Rs 60,000 and a couple of suitcases with me. I have to start rebuilding my life from scratch,” said Khan.

He recalled how the Taliban had looted his shop back in his hometown. “I cried watching a video of my shop and home being ransacked. The Taliban took away everything,” added the man. Khan said he somehow managed to contact a friend, who works at the Indian Embassy and get a visa.