Afghan students in Hyderabad concerned about their future, well-being of families

Afghan students in Hyderabad are worried over the fast-unfolding developments in their country and some of them have urged the Indian government to extend their visas.

The students are concerned about their future and about the well-being of their families in Afghanistan, said Mohammadvyousaf Khanmirzoy, president of the Afghan students association here.

There are about 200 Afghan students in the Telangana capital who are pursuing various courses in institutions like Osmania University, Hyderabad Central University, JNTU and the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), he said. They are doing courses like engineering, BSc (Computer Science), post graduation and business administration.

As the Afghan students association president, he is grateful to the Indian government for all its help to them, Khanmirzoy said. "The main problems of Afghan students in Hyderabad are the expiration of visas and stopping the scholarship by ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) after completing their courses. We request the Indian government to extend students' visas and solve the scholarships issue, till the situation becomes stable," he told PTI.

The visas and scholarships problems concern only those students who have completed their courses, he said. After completion of their courses, they will be asked to leave India. Their number could be 65-70, he said.

Younus Shafaee, another Afghan students leader in Hyderabad, also said some students whose visas are going to expire soon, want it to be extended by the Indian government.