No Hope From Taliban, They Killed Our Families: Afghan Refugees In India

The 22-year-old Afghan, who hails from Mazhar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province in northern part of the war-torn country, detests the mention of word ''Taliban'', which ironically, means students.

Rishad Rahmani, who moved to India from Afghanistan in 2019, carries on the side of his neck a tattoo depicting flight of a pigeon, symbolising a desire of freedom for Afghans, but his mind bears the scars of his uncle's killing at the hands of the Taliban a few years ago. The 22-year-old Afghan, who hails from Mazhar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province in northern part of the war-torn country, detests the mention of the word ''Taliban'', which ironically, in Pashto means students. "We have a bad feeling about the situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. People there are scared and we refugees in India are also tense, as many of our family members are there. So, many Afghans are fleeing their homeland left with no choice," Rahmani told PTI. He was among hundreds of Afghan refugees, drawn from Delhi and neighbouring cities, who vociferously protested in front of the UNHCR office here, demanding safety for themselves and their compatriots in Afghanistan.