New Delhi: The sound of gunfire has not been heard since the Taliban’s occupation of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, but the crisis is deepening with the passage of time. This is to say of four Indian teachers trapped in war-torn Afghanistan who has appealed to evacuate them immediately so that they can return to their families. The four Indian teachers teach at Bakhtar University in Kabul, which was captured by the Taliban three days ago.
Speaking to PTI over the phone, Mohammad Asif Shah said, “We have contacted every possible forum in India. We are hoping that the government will do something to ensure our immediate evacuation from here. We have not stepped outside the university campus for the last two days and all the time there is a ruckus outside, my heart is pounding.”
Shah hails from Kashmir and has been teaching economics at the university in Kabul for the last four years. He told that he and his colleagues fear that anything untoward could happen in the current environment.
Shah said, “My plan was to return on Monday. Even I had booked the ticket but the situation changed rapidly. It took me hours to reach the airport and it seemed that the whole of Kabul had gathered at the airport. The flight was canceled and I had no option but to return to the university hostel.”
He had returned to Afghanistan only two months back after the government’s decision to start offline classes. Syed Abid Hussain, a resident of Bihar, who teaches marketing in the university, said that he is still safe in view of the situation.
“We do not want to live in this uncertainty. We are trying to get in touch with the Embassy and the Ministry of External Affairs. We haven’t been heard yet but I am sure the government is trying to get us out of Kabul safely.”
“We are praying that the situation does not worsen and we can return home safely,” said Adil Rasool, from Kashmir, who is staying with his wife in the university itself.
Rasool, who has been teaching management in the university since the year 2017, said that at present all the universities are on the campus and waiting for a positive initiative from the Indian embassy or the government. Jharkhand’s Afroz Alam, who is teaching computer science in the university, said that till now there has been no bloodshed here but there is an atmosphere of fear.
“So far there has been no bloodshed outside. We have not even heard the sound of gunfire in the city but we fear that this peace may not be momentary. The campus is big, so we don’t go out for necessities. I’m just hoping to get out of here safely.”
