Tags:
Journalism of Courage
When one arrives at Sohrab Goth, a Karachi suburb situated strategically at the beginning of the national highway, which connects the city with the rest of the country, the Al Azam apartments come into view. This mammoth complex, which comprises over 600 apartments, is home to the largest single Afghan community in Pakistan. Government officials estimate that Pakistan hosts an estimated four million Afghans refugees, most of whom reside in Karachi.
Going into the complex is no guarantee that one will come out safe. Outsiders are especially at risk here. quot;There have been several incidents of kidnapping,quot; says a police officer assigned from the Gulzar-e-Hijri Police Station, who accompanies us as a precautionary measure.
Over a cup of kahva, the milkless sweet Afghan tea, talk turns to the situation in the homeland. Mianzab Gul, the restaurant owner, says: quot;I will not go back to Afghanistan as long as there is fighting.quot; As a crowd gathers, more people express their sentiments. Rehman Khan, who hails from Kabul is bitter with the Taliban: quot;There is nothing to go back to. They have destroyed whatever was left of our city.quot;
In Karachi, the Taliban8217;s invitation to their countrymen and women to return to Afghanistan seems to have had little effect. The only people interested in going back are the religiously motivated students of the Deeni Madarsas religious schools who are prepared to fight side by side with their brothers on the front-line. Aslam Shah, a father of two, says that he is happy to be in Karachi: quot;Here, I can educate my children. I have a job as the agent of a wholesaler. There is nothing for me in Afghanistan. It would be madness to go back.quot;
