Fleeing Afghan musicians stuck in limbo in Pakistan

Musicians who fled Afghanistan fearing the Taliban rule struggle to make a living as refugees in Pakistan.

Peshawar, Pakistan – Noman Khan remembers the exact moment he realised that he could no longer live in his native Afghanistan without fear of being killed.

On the morning of August 15, hours before taking control of the Afghan capital Kabul, Taliban fighters streamed into Khan’s native Jalalabad, about 120km east of Kabul, taking control of the city with hardly a shot fired.

As fighters consolidated control of infrastructure and paraded white flags in the streets, local Taliban members who knew of Khan’s work as a musician broke into an office that Khan and others used as a makeshift studio.