New Delhi: The situation in peace-loving Kabul and its people changed within a few hours as soon as the Taliban took control over the check posts and the streets. Everyone in Kabul was terrified and was only praying that lives would be saved. Independent journalist Kanika Gupta, resident of Ghaziabad, who returned to India from Kabul on August 17, gave detailed information while sharing her experiences. She said that about three hundred Indians are still in Kabul. The government should bring them to India at the earliest.
Kanika was in Kabul for the past three months. On August 15, when the Taliban suddenly occupied Afghanistan, Kanika along with other Indians living there contacted the embassy. On 17 August, she came to Hindan Air Force Station by Air Force’s Globemaster aircraft. Kanika told that she had gone to Afghanistan for stories related to humanitarian issues. However, in the last three months, she never felt that the Taliban would take over the country in this way. She covered many stories related to the people of Afghanistan. Everything was going well that suddenly on 15th August everything changed.
Kanika told that on August 15, as soon as the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government, the situation of stampede was also visible on the streets of Kabul. The Afghans, who had seen the brutality of the Taliban 20 years ago with the people living from outside countries, also wanted to leave the country out of fear. This was the reason that thousands of people gathered at the airport. The same people who wanted to leave the country were hanging on the American airplane.
Kanika told that when she got instructions from the embassy that the Indian Air Force plane was ready to take her to India, she left for the airport by car. The Talibani militants were standing with guns everywhere on the road. Her car was stopped at a check post. She told that she is Indian and going to the airport. The Talibani militant stopped the car from going forward. When Kanika tried to explain, the Talibani militant did not even talk to her. Kanika told that the Talibani militant was responding to her driver instead of her. After a struggle of about two hours, the Talibani militant allowed her to go to the airport. Some other Talibanis accompanied her to the airport. There was a crowd of thousands at the main gate of the airport. In such a situation, she was given entry into the airport through the back door.
Kanika told that when she tried to convince the Talibani, instead of talking to her, he talked to the driver. It seemed as if the Talibani militant did not want to talk to women. This was the reason that as soon as the Talibanis’ entry was announced on 15 August, Afghan women were seen wearing hijabs leaving their normal clothes. Along with this the clothing of men also changed. Men were also seen wearing ‘safas’ on their heads like Talibanis.
Kanika told that she is in constant touch with many people in Kabul. I can talk to them on the phone. People known to her have told over the phone on Thursday morning that the Talibanis are celebrating Independence Day and demonstrating on the streets. However, violence is no longer taking place in most parts of Kabul.
Kanika told that when she reached the airport, the situation there was very bad. Everywhere there was broken stuff. Although the US military took the airport under its control, the people were evicted. People’s slippers and other belongings were lying everywhere at the airport. Kanika told that even though the Taliban have talked about giving women their rights, but still women are afraid. The type of videos that are coming out don’t seem to change anything. If anything really has to change, the Talibanis will have to change themselves.