Afghan students in Pune worry about safety of kin back home

As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban after a bloody offensive triggering chaos and uncertainty students from the warravaged country studying in Pune are a worried lot as most of them are not able to speak to their family members back home and some are seeking extension of their visas to prolong their stay hereAccording to the Afghan Students Association Pune there are about 3000 students from the neighbouring country who are pursuing education in different institutes in the cityOne of the key demands of the students from Afghanistan is extension of visas which are expiring soon so that these pupils can stay in India till the situation stabilizes in their home countryWali Rehman Rehmani president of the Afghan Students Association Pune said on Monday that there are about 3000 students from Afghanistan who are studying in different educational institutes in the cityThere are some students who could establish contacts with their family back home but there are several others who are still not being able to connect with their parents and families he saidHe said the association is trying to help these students to get in touch with their families back homeAlso read IITBombay allows Afghani students to stay on campusRehmani said there are some students whose visas will expire soonWe are urging the Indian government to extend their visas till the situation improves back home he saidAbba Oumar president of the Federation of International Students Association FISA said in these difficult times We are trying to extend all possible support to fellow Afghan studentsShukrullah Ahamadi 25 who is pursuing an MBA from a private university said he has not spoken to his family in Afghanistan for the last three days a period which saw lightning advance by Taliban fighters towards KabulThe situation back home is terrifying and scary We never imagined such kind of a situation In my hometown in Logar province which is hardly 50km from Kabul the Internet and telephone services are completely shut and I am not able to connect with my family he saidAhamadi whose immediate family comprises his mother and three elder brothers had last gone to his hometown in 2018He said the Indian government should extend the visas of students whose stay is coming to an end soon as going back to Afghanistan as this juncture is not safeIf they go there they will not be safe Though they are away from their families at least they are safe here Ahamadi addedFarzana a thirdyear management student at the Savitribai Phule Pune University said she is very concerned about the safety of her family back homeAs the situation is worsening in the country I am more concerned about my family The last time I spoke to them I came to know that they were not able to even withdraw money from the bank she addedSanjay Nahar founderpresident of NGO Sarhad said in order to support the Afghan students they have started a helpline 8007066900 and urged them to contact his organisation if they need helpThe Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country There were chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport as thousands tried to flee the country after the Talibans takeoverThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever