‘Life has changed drastically in Kabul, now fear is all-pervasive’

KOLKATA: Azhar Haque keeps a bag with his passport, important documents, some cash and clothes ready with him at all times. Because, anything can happen in Kabul any time.
A resident of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, the Kolkatan has been working in Afghanistan for the past two years. He is the country programs manager of Aschiana, an NGO in Afghanistan involved in education, child protection and youth empowerment. Talking to TOI over phone from Kabul, the 32-year-old shared his experience and trauma of working in a war-torn country where every day brings a new challenge.
“Two years ago when I first came to Afghanistan, the situation was not this volatile. The cities were safe and people were free to visit markets or go out in the evenings. But things have changed drastically in the last two months. An environment of fear has engulfed Kabul as we get reports of war breaking out in neighbouring provinces,” said Azhar, an alumni of The London school of Economics and Political Science.
“It is depressing to see what the common people are facing. They are finding the situation uncannily similar to that of 1989 when a civil war broke out in the country,” he added.
While the rest of the world is more concerned about who will seize power in Afghanistan, says Azhar, life has come to a standstill for the people. “They don’t want to lose their loved ones or leave their homes. Kids are waiting for schools to reopen, men are waiting to return to work and women are waiting for the day they won’t have to worry about their loved ones once they step out,” he said.
As a social development worker in a conflict zone, Azhar has visited and stayed in some of the troubled zones of Afghanistan, lived in mud houses in extreme winter, almost got himself killed by gas poisoning and escaped attacks by sheer luck. He has come across people whose experiences have scarred him for life: mothers who have lost sons, children who have lost fathers, kids with shrapnel shells in their bodes, a little girl who saw a suicide bomber blow himself up and many others, the list is countless.
“All these encounters have shaken me to the core and taken a huge toll on my mental health. Sometimes I wake up to the sound of gun shots or news of suicide attacks and in my dreams I am plagued by the traumatised faces. The smell of blood and cries of helpless mothers and kids chase me all day.”
The only thing that keeps the young social worker going is the warmth and love of the people. Azhar says he has fallen in love with the country and its people. He loves ‘manto’ (Afghan-styled momo) but craves “maa-ka haath ka biryani” and misses home.
The Afghans, he feels, are as hospitable as Kolkatans. “More than a century back, through Tagore’s story we had accepted the Kabuliwalah as our own. Now it seems that the Kabuliwalahs have accepted a Kolkatan as their own.” Despite the danger and mental stress, Azhar has decided to stay put in the war-torn country as long as it is possible and work for the upliftment of the common Afghans.