Afghan students at Himachal Pradesh University seek visa extension

The fall of the civilian government has surprised the world as well as the people of Afghanistan. Afghan students at the university said the things changed so fast that even the Taliban may not have anticipated this and in the midst of the turbulence they haven't been able to contact their families.

There are 125 students, who are studying at the Himachal Pradesh University on scholarship.

Wahid Zaheer, a student of mass communication, told Hindustan Times that the transfer of power in Afghanistan has been peaceful so far.

“The Taliban may have taken over, but they are not fully in command to handle the chaos. So far, they have taken over peacefully, but we are keeping a close watch on the situation,” Zaheer was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Another student Misabahuddin Yousufzai, a student of political science, said he is hopeful that the Taliban sticks to its promise of establishing a welfare state.

"I’m worried about my family. Things are changing so swiftly. We went to bed when one government was in power and woke up to another ruler in the chair,” Yousufzai told HT.

He also expressed doubts about the Indian government recognising the Taliban government.

“The government should extend the student visas, otherwise we are heading for a bigger problem,” he said, the report quoted.

According to the report, most Afghan students want to study political science at HPU.

Even Karzai did post-graduation in political science from HPU in 1983. He last visited Shimla in 2006, it added.