Jakarta –
When Taliban Preparing to form a new government in Afghanistan, a woman tells the story of her family being torn apart after her father disappeared when the Taliban came to power in 1999.
Friba, now living in London, was 10 years old at the time. He had last seen his father at their home in Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city.
The family and Friba believe his father was kidnapped by the Taliban.
This is the story. A number of names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.
“Life under the Taliban regime is like having a violent relationship. At first it was good. They made promises, they tread carefully, they even kept some promises,” he said.
“But when you are lulled into a false sense of security, that’s where they plan.”
Soon, and little by little, as the world grew tired of Afghanistan, and the media turned its attention to it, they gripped the power by the day, and the cycle of savagery began again.
“My father was born in Herat. He graduated from Kabul University. After graduating, he married and started working in a small team for the then Afghan government. When the Russian troops left, and the Mujahids took power, my father got a job in an NGO ( Non-Governmental Organizations),” he said.
“When the Taliban moved to Herat, my father had the opportunity to leave, but he chose to stay. He loves his job very much, and he loves Herat,” continued Friba.
I will never forget mother’s face
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“Life was very cruel under the Taliban regime. My father had four daughters who had been deprived of their right to education, and a baby boy. But the work was rewarding, he had ambitions, for himself and for us, and worked with animals- animals make life pretty good,” said Friba.
“One morning in mid-June 1999, my father had just finished breakfast, and was getting ready to go to work. He looked at me, and smiled as he got on his bike and left.”
He said a few minutes later, a number of neighbors came to his house with his father’s bicycle. They said the Taliban had taken him.
“I will never forget my mother’s face. Mother’s face froze in shock. She took my five-year-old brother’s hand and ran out the door, desperate to find dad. on his shoulders,” he said.
He says there is no news about his father since then. He said he did not know whether his father was still alive or not.
“My uncle and his friends couldn’t find out where he was being held,” he said.
AFPA woman walks into a building in Herat
“Every day, my mother went to the Taliban office. They refused to listen to my mother. After a tired walk, my uncle went to Kandahar where he was informed that the Taliban moved some prisoners. But that was also no news. Later, he went to Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif. But the results were both nil,” he explained.
He said his neighbors witnessed his father’s arrest and believed the culprit was a member of the Taliban. According to him, those arrested were released in Herat prison.
“Our neighbors who witnessed my father’s arrest, are convinced. They have seen the same Taliban members who arrested other neighbors, and then released them from prison in Herat. My mother is so strong, like a lion, she will not let my father disappear just like that,” he said. he said.
“He went against the advice of the family. He took my younger brother (because under the Taliban rule, women were only allowed to travel with men even if it was only boys) and went to Kandahar to the office of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar,” he continued.
He said the Taliban beat and threatened his mother. They said that if her mother showed up again, she would be stoned.
“My mother returned home disappointed, and resigned,” he said.
‘We will never forget the Taliban’
“Life under the Taliban is like living in hell moving into a black hole of desperation. My mother, worried for our lives, decided to leave Afghanistan and take us to Mashhad, Iran,” Friba said.
In 2004, when things got better in Afghanistan, he returned home. He said he wanted to continue his education and make something meaningful for himself.
“Dad had hopes for us, for us to fulfill. I still remember his sweet smile, and I still have the pen he gave me. We can’t cry over him, and we won’t forget him,” she said.
“When we see news of the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan again, I fear that the history we have experienced will repeat itself,” Friba continued.
Friba, who is married and lives in England, is worried about his mother and siblings still in Afghanistan. He is also worried about the fate of the millions of families he expects to suffer.
“Their only crime is being born in Afghanistan.”
Produced by Rozina Sini
(summer / summer)
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