Many youngsters from Afghanistan had come to Bengaluru chasing dreams of completing their studies, returning home, and working towards the upliftment of their country. Today, chances of doing so are bleak, and they are worried about their families back home as the Taliban has taken over.
Most of them have been calling their families multiple times a day and wondering how the situation will pan out.
Fahimullah Wardak, an MSc student of University of Agricultural Science [UAS] , Bengaluru, who came to the city in 2019, said he has been calling his family around 10 times a day.
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He is most worried about his wife and two daughters. “With the recent developments, I am worried about the future of my daughters,” he said. Although due to network issues, he has not been able to have a detailed conversation with them, he said that he just wants to hear that they are doing well.
Hayed Hasan Anwary, who is pursuing Masters of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication in Jain University, said, “My parents were frantic about the situation. They asked me to promise that I will not return to my home. They want me to work here in Bengaluru and support them financially or morally.”
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Many of them have not been able to meet their families for a long time as they were unable to travel due to the pandemic. Maruf Seddiqui , an MSc student of UAS, Bengaluru, said that he came to the city in 2019. “My parents and six siblings live in Afghanistan and I worry about them constantly as the situation is not normal,” he said.
Students from Afghanistan studying in the University of Mysore on Tuesday met Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar and sought his help in getting their visas extended due to the suspension of flights to Kabul. Moreover, they are not ready to go back to their country.
Prof. Kumar told The Hindu : “I was told by the students that their families are safe in Afghanistan and they wish to complete their education in Mysuru before returning home.”
The V-C said he has advised them to focus on their education, especially those in their final year . “I think the Indian government will take appropriate decision since many study in various Indian universities. If necessary, we can make arrangements for their accommodation in hostels and are also ready for other assistance,” he said.
The Manasagangotri campus has about 92 Afghan students.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) provides 1,000 special scholarships to Afghan students every year and many prefer to study in Karnataka, especially in Bengaluru and Mysuru, said International Centre Director G.R. Janardhana.
The university recently approved 25 scholarships for this year, but students could not come to India for various reasons.
The current situation in Afghanistan has also put a question mark on the fate of students unable to return to Mysuru.
“Before the lockdown, some students went home and only a few returned,” said Prof. Janardhana.
Of 2,000 applications from abroad for admissions in the university this year, over 1,300 belonged to Afghan students.