New Delhi, Aug 22: As the heart-wrenching images from Kabul airport went viral in the media, the Afghans living in India were anxiously praying for the well-being of their near and dear ones in their home country. While there cannot be any measure for their trepidation and pain, there was some solace at having secured a dignified life and social security in India, a country which embraces diversity with love and warmth.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there were approximately 40,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered in India in 2019. At 27 per cent, Afghans were the second-largest community amongst them.
Most of the Afghan refugees living in India are concentrated in New Delhi. The capital’s Lajpat Nagar, a colony originally built for partition refugees from Pakistan, acts as a home for many Afghans. Those living here seem to have integrated themselves into the local customs and traditions, part of India’s rich and syncretic cultural heritage.
Men wearing Pathani salwar kurtas and women clad in abayas can be seen here, expressing themselves freely without any inhibitions. Additionally, the Afghan community has also become an important part of the local economy, running restaurants and stores, flocked by people, with signboards written in both English and Dari languages.
With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, however, the “Afghan colony” in Lajpat Nagar and Bhogal that has many shops, travel agencies and restaurants catering mostly to Afghan students, medical tourists and refugees are in the grip of fear with people making desperate enquiries about each other’s families back home. Though most of them do not want to go back home, the worry for the safety of those left behind is not letting them sleep.
Today, there are over 16,000 Afghan students pursuing higher education in India, and during the last two decades, over 60,000 graduates, post-graduates and other professionals have returned to Afghanistan after completing their training in the country.
India earlier has provided refuge to several Afghan leaders and their kin during times of conflict. (IANS)
