Afghan chaos a concern for families of jailed Kerala women

The turmoil in Afghanistan has aggravated the concerns of families of four Malayali women who have been languishing in an Afghan prison since November 2019 after the IS operatives surrendered.

Bindhu S, the mother of Nimisha alias Fathima, one among the four women, has been requesting the Indian government authorities since Sunday after the reports of Taliban gaining power in Afghanistan started coming.

“At least at this point in time, the Indian government should take steps to ensure the safety of the four women. Since yesterday, I have been mailing fresh petitions to all possible authorities of the Indian government, but have yet to receive any positive response,” the desperate mother hailing from Thiruvananthapuram told DH, adding that they are urging the government to let the women face trial under the Indian anti-terrorist laws.

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Apart from Nimisha, Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob and Raffeala were the other Malayali women in Afghan prisons along with their children. They were reported to be in Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul from where the Taliban reportedly freed prisoners recently.

Experts say that the women were likely to be used by the Taliban forces for their service, as terrorist outfits like IS are likely to be comfortable in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Though the women stated that they repented their decision to join IS, the security agencies need not take it into consideration, said a commentator.

Bindu, as well as Sonia’s father Sebastian V J, had approached the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court respectively recently seeking a directive to the Centre for the extradition of the women. They also expressed concerns over the political changes in Afghanistan with the exit of the US troops.