Group of Afgan students carry posters of leaders and
banners to protest against Taliban and Pakistan, at Savitribai Phule Pune University campus on Friday. (Photo: Arul Horizon)
A group of students from Afghanistan, who are studying in Pune, has come together in support of the “national uprising” against the Taliban called by Ahmad Massoud, leader of the resistance forces in the country’s northeast province of Panjshir.
The students had organised a protest on Friday near the main building of the International Centre of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) around 3 pm. Students from Afghanistan, studying in various colleges in Pune, had come to the SPPU with banners and posters to take part in the protest. But they had to postpone the programme as they could not get permission to hold the protest.
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In their note on the protest circulated on social media, they had stated, “We, the students from Afghanistan, are organising the protest in Pune city in support of Afghanistan National Uprising. Therefore, we are requesting you to join the event and raise the voice of innocent Afghans who are sacrificing for the freedom, dignity and integrity of Afghanistan. Let’s stop the aggression of Taliban and Pakistan together.”
A team of the Pune City Police at the SPPU asked the students to first get the necessary permission for the protest. The students said they had submitted a letter to the International Centre of SPPU, but the procedure for permission from the concerned authorities was not completed.
“We will cooperate with the police. We are students and do not want to protest illegally. We have postponed the protest meant for gathering support for the Afghanistan National Uprising….. We are against the aggression of the Taliban and Pakistan. We plan to organise the protest in Pune soon with required permissions,” Murshed Noori, a youngster from Afghanistan pursuing an MBA in Pune, told The Indian Express.
“Also, we want to bring to the notice of local authorities the problems that Afghanistan students are facing in Pune. We are facing difficulties in getting proper food, accommodation and educational facilities. We need support to solve our problems,” he said.
Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007.
Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra.
While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the ‘Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry’. ... Read More