Calgarians like Khwaja Saeedi are watching developments about the place they used to call home with unease.
Saeedi’s family in Afghanistan faces an uncertain future following the departure of foreign troops and the swift takeover by the Taliban.
His in-laws, cousins and other relatives are still there, and for now, are sheltering at home.
“They don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Saeedi on Monday. “All the schools are closed right now. The offices, people who were working — they’re staying home right now. They’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.
“People are in shock right now.”
Saeedi owns and operates Kabul Restaurant in Calgary, but he still has memories of life under Taliban rule.
“There were no rights for women, no rights for people to choose the kind of life they want to lead,” said Saeedi. “It was a very dark time for my country.”
The Taliban have historically been intolerant of religious minorities — something late MLA Manmeet Singh Bhullar took on as his life’s work. The Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation has since helped over 250 people fleeing persecution.
“The ones that remain face a daily ordeal of children not being able to go to school, women not being able to step out of their house unless they’re covered up,” explained Tarjinder Bhullar, Manmeet’s sister.
While the federal government’s pledge to help resettle 20,000 Afghan citizens is expected to help the organization’s efforts in the future, the emphasis right now is on helping translators and those with western ties to make it home.
“Now when you see that there are thousands upon thousands of people with Canadian ties and American ties that are saying, ‘We are literally waiting to find out what the next steps are,’ it just speaks to the gravity of the crisis,” said Bhullar.
The Taliban have pledged not to harm civilians and to respect women’s rights under Sharia Law. But with the departure of international forces, what’s ahead for those left behind is unclear.
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