The ongoing political turmoil in Afghanistan has left the students from the war-ravaged country in Dharwad a worried lot.
“Yes we were all very much worried initially. We frequently called up our families to know the situation. We are a bit relieved now as they are safe and the developments are positive,” said Nasratullah Kakar, a research student at the University of Agricultural Sciences-Dharwad.
Speaking to DH on Monday, he said that there are 15 Afghan students are pursuing their higher education at UAS-Dharwad. While four are pursuing research, 11 students are doing PG courses. Of them, five have returned to Afghanistan because of Covid-19, while 10 others are now at the International Hostel of UAS-Dharwad.
Nasratullah is in his second year of the three-year PhD programme in Agricultural Extension. An employee of the Ministry of Agriculture in Afghanistan, Nasratullah is pursuing his research under the programme of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Like him, the remaining fourteen students are also employees of Afghanistan Government and are pursuing various courses under the ICAR programme. They all are married and have families back home.
“We all live in joint families with over 20 members staying under one single roof. I have three daughters and a son and we live in a joint family of 21 members,” he said.
Along with him, the other Afghan nationals at UAS-D are still anxious because of the developments unfolding back home.
Meanwhile, UAS-Dharwad Vice-Chancellor M B Chetti told DH that he had a meeting with the Afghan students on Monday. “They are happy with the arrangements here and are also relieved now because their families in Afghanistan are safe,” Chetti said.
Some of these students are about to complete their postgraduation in few months. “But their return would depend on the developments in our homeland,” said Nasratullah said.
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