Afghani students who are enrolled in courses at Indian universities are still struggling to come to India. On top of that, they have not been able to access online classes as well due to patchy internet. But it's not just their education that is being threatened. Livelihood too has come under attack.
Mohammed Abas (name changed), had enrolled in a course at the Jawaharlal Nehru University when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. It's not been the same since. They have tried contacting the university to tell the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to let them into India but it's been in vain. Abas used to work for the Foreign Ministry but lost his job after the Taliban took over. "The Ministry has, through the Ambassador in India, requested the Indian government to grant us a visa. But there has been no correspondence from the Indian side till now," he said. "The Taliban government is only appointing people close to them. So us existing employees have lost our jobs. Those who are still working are also being replaced," added Abas.
The situation has worsened on the ground, said Sabina (name changed), a student who was set to come to India but now sees no hope in the recent future. "No one wants to leave their own country. But the situation has worsened. Women were being allowed to work but for the past few days, they have been asked not to come. Even in universities, women have been asked not to come. Only schools are open but only female students till Class VI are allowed. Not the ones above that level," she added.
The financial situation has also become a burden. Abas said that he has not earned a salary in the past few months and was forced to move out of his apartment because it was getting hard to pay the rent. "I do not know what the future holds for us. It's just uncertain and seems bleak. Neither the varsity nor the Indian government has said anything till now," he added.
Students from the South Asian University had also staged a protest asking the governments and the universities to reply to their visa pleas.
