'We want justice', Afghan refugees protest outside UNHCR office in Delhi

The protest was organised by Afghan Solidarity Committee (ASC). Protesters came from the capital's Lajpat Nagar, 'Little Kabul' of Delhi, Bhogal, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, among other places

Moneycontrol News
August 24, 2021 / 11:00 AM IST
As the crisis in Afghanistan deepens after the Taliban takeover, a large number of Afghan refugees in India protested outside the UNHCR office in Delhi seeking the release of "support letters" from the UN agency to migrate to other countries for better opportunities. (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi)
Hundreds of demonstrators from Delhi and neighbouring cities gathered in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Vasant Vihar on August 23. (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RC2YAP9OKN6F)
The crowd shouted slogans like "We want future", "We want justice", "No more silence" and clapped and cheered each other, as many others held banners bearing messages like "UN Geneva help Afghan Refugees" and "Issue resident visas to all Afghan refugees". (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi)
People protest outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office to urge the international community to help Afghan refugees, in New Delhi. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)
The protest was organised by Afghan Solidarity Committee (ASC) and the protestors were shouting slogans till late afternoon, with their leader saying the protest will continue for at least two-three days. Protesters came from Lajpat Nagar, the "Little Kabul" of Delhi, Bhogal, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, among other places. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)
The ASC volunteers also wore a blue armband to register their protests, while women and children sang Afghan song 'Sarzamine Mann'. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)
Most of the Afghans protesting outside the UN office said they fled to India more than 10 years ago but are still waiting to be recognised as refugees. Many get trapped within a complex bureaucratic process to register as refugees in India and struggle to live a dignified life, they said. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)
India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol. As of 2019, Afghans accounted for about a third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered in India, according to the UN refugee agency but this figure excludes those not registered with the UN (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Calls for formal recognition as refugees in India have intensified in recent days, as hopes for a return home held by thousands of Afghan refugees were dashed by the Taliban’s shockingly swift takeover of the country. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Many Afghans fear the Taliban will erase the gains, especially for women, achieved in the decades since the US-led invasion in 2001. When the militant group ran the country in the late 1990s, they imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, forcing a sequestered life for many, particularly women and girls who were forbidden from education and most employment. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
The Taliban now seek to present themselves as a more moderate force, offering amnesty to those who fought them and declaring the rights of women would be honoured under Islamic law but for many protesters, the biggest fear remained the future of women and children. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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Tags: #Afghanistan #Current Affairs #Delhi #Slideshow #Taliban
first published: Aug 24, 2021 11:00 am