Afghanistan - A Tale of Dying Hope and A Myriad of Choked Emotions

 

I was only a teenage college student when reports of the Syrian civil war found their place in newspapers and on television screens. The effects of war and the distress caused to the innocent civilians broke my heart every single time they were reported in the media. It was around this time that I had just started reading and watching news and I remember being heartbroken by the shocking pictures of destruction and loss coming from the war-torn country.

Déjà vu hit me hard a few days ago when reports of the Taliban descending upon the major cities of Afghanistan found their way into media. In no time, the military organisation had most of the country’s major cities in its control and chaos had already crept into every human mind in the nation. Looks of worry flashed upon every face and uncertainty ruled the once carefree atmosphere. It was only a matter of days. Only a couple of days that changed the face of the entire country. While we in India were celebrating our 75^th Independence Day with pride, there was a country in the world that was losing its independence to a repressive ruling entity.

The Taliban has a widely known history of a repressive rule, especially against women. Before they first assumed power in 1996, Afghanistan is believed to have been rather progressive towards women or so I have seen in photographs. However, once the Taliban came into power, the entire face of the country underwent a massive change. Women were prevented from seeking education and were forced to cover themselves from head to toe. The regression went as far as not allowing women to step out of the house without a male family member accompanying them. Moreover, young girls and widows were often forcefully married off to the Taliban fighters and tortured and executed if they protested. The torment and regression went on for over six years before the US troops overthrew their rule and brought respite to the nation.

They say history repeats, and all I can do is wonder if Afghanistan would go back in time and become a slave to the terrorist organisation once again. The heartbreaking visuals coming from the nation have already shocked the entire world with the sheer hopelessness and helplessness exuding from them. They take me back to the time when pictures of the miserable state of Syria would do rounds in newspapers and on TV channels. I particularly remember the picture of a little boy, later identified as Aylan Kurdi, lying dead on a beach during the Syrian war, which caught the attention of the entire world and gave us all an insight into the horrors of war. The image has stayed with me all these years and I cannot help but go back to it now that the future of Afghanistan lies dangling upon a cliff.

The situation of Iraq was no different a few years ago. After the ISIS attacked parts of the nations, especially regions housing minority communities such as the Yazidis, terror and hopelessness spread like wildfire. ‘The Last Girl’, a book by Nadia Murad, is a first-hand encounter of the terror unleashed upon the Yazidis by ISIS, narrating spine-chilling details of living in captivity with the terrorists. While I have immense respect for the author, Nadia Murad, a Nobel Prize winner for peace, I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors she and many young women like her faced while being held captive by their oppressors.

As these horrific events cross my mind, I cannot help but feel restless about the current situation in Afghanistan. The sudden withdrawal of troops by the US has landed the country in a soup and only time will tell what will happen to the innocent citizens. However, the current desperation and helplessness among people fills my heart with concern.

Hope is a way of life. In fact, in my opinion, the only way of life. When all doors close and nothing seems to be going right, it is hope that saves us. Hope is ray of light in the darkest of days and a sailing ship amidst a storm. But the very thing that keeps you afloat amidst a storm seems to be dwindling in Afghanistan. The pictures of citizens crowding at airports to leave the country, the visuals of people falling off a flying plane and the videos of parents handing away their babies to soldiers to ensure their safety are beyond heartbreaking, to say the least.

What these new developments will bring for Afghanistan is yet to be seen. Whether the Taliban will stay true to their deal or resort to their old ways is something only time will tell. Yet, all we can do is leave the issue of religion and ethnicity aside for a while and pray for the sake of humanity. There are people in the world that need support right now, and most all, prayers and good wishes. I hope the world recovers from rivalry and enmity and peace prevails in the distressed nation.

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