Afghanistan crisis: Afghan students studying in JNU do not want to go back to the country, hope of getting visa extension

Taliban terrorists holding their flag in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Sunday.

The students of Afghanistan studying in Jawaharlal University (JNU) do not want to go back to their country at the moment. There is a civil war in Afghanistan and the Taliban have reached the capital Kabul. Afghanistan students living in India want their visa period to be extended so that they can spend more time in India. Visas of most of the Afghan students of JNU will expire in the next few months.

Permission to stay in India till December
According to the news agency, the visas of most of the students of Afghanistan are valid only till December. But, in view of the dangerous situation in Afghanistan, no student wants to return there at this time. According to sources, now most of the students want to extend their visa through new courses like PhD. Some students said – Most people are unemployed in a war zone like Afghanistan. They want to avoid death and detention. However, even here it seems impossible to pay huge fees. Some students even have to leave the hostel by September 23. They will have to find new accommodation and that too when there is a period of financial crisis.

Bad situation in Afghanistan
Jalaluddin, a student of JNU says – The situation in our country is very bad. I hope the administration here will understand our problems and give us visa extension. There is also a problem that it is very expensive for foreign students to do PhD in JNU. I can’t even understand what to do now.

If someone’s student visa expires, then he cannot do any work for studies or any livelihood. Applying for visa extension also has to be done before the expiry date of his passport.

fear of some people being detained
Shafiq Sultan is a student of International Relations and Area Studies. Sultan says- my visa will expire on 31st December. I was a government employee before coming here. I feel certain that if I return to Afghanistan, I will be imprisoned. The area where my family lives has been captured by the Taliban. I haven’t even been able to contact him since 10 days. The tension is increasing, we need help.

‘Family doesn’t want me to come back’
Ali Asghar is also a student. His visa will expire after three months. Asghar says – I had a talk with my father a week ago. According to him, my family is shifting to some other place. The family is afraid that the Taliban will also capture the place where our family currently lives. The family does not want me to return to Afghanistan. But, the fee structure for foreign students here is quite expensive. It is not possible to live here without family support.

The JNU administration has admitted that some Afghan students have applied to return to the campus. At present, the university is closed. But, the administration is considering the matter.