Afghan students in India worried over their future

 

 

 

AN ESTIMATED 5,000-plus Afghan students, including around 1,800 girls, are shaken and deeply worried over their future in India as their motherland has apparently collapsed under the Taliban fury, watched with dazed horror by the world in the past few days. Of the estimated 11,000-plus Afghan students studying in different colleges and universities across India, the largest chunk of around 5,000 are in Maharashtra alone. “Around 3,000 are in Pune, some 700 in Mumbai and the rest scattered in different cities in the State,” Afghan Students Association of Pune President Wali R Rahmani told IANS. According to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations data, less than 2,500 students are here on Government scholarships, and they have no cause for worry.

 

However, Rahmani said that the rest who are here through self-finance modes could be the worst-hit due to communication breakdown with their families. “They have practically lost all contacts with families, relatives and friends back home. There’s no clarity on the ground realities barring the shocking images or news that they monitor in the electronic media or social networks,” said Pune-based NGO Sarhad President Sanjay Nahar grimly. Barring those sponsored through the ICCR, Rahmani said that the other students who have already taken admissions for the current academic year face major problems as they are unable to arrange finance from home. “Another 500-odd students had returned to Afghanistan for vacations or the COVID pandemic or other reasons in the past few months. With the change in the political situation, they are unable to travel to resume academics,” Rahmani said.