Mirwais Balkhi, a former Afghan education minister who fled his homeland two years ago in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover, now lives in the United States. In the West, he and his friends, who also escaped Afghanistan in 2021, now grapple with depression.
“We are all suffering the highest level of depression,” Balkhi admitted to WION. His voice carried the weight of shared sorrow.
He said that many who left Afghanistan, himself included, sought solace in Western and North American countries. However, he said the new surroundings cannot fully replace the sense of familiarity they left behind.
Engaging in a candid conversation with WION, Balkhi revealed that now in the West the feeling of “idleness” haunts him and his Afghan friends in exile.
“We feel a burden to other societies,” he said adding, “We were useful assets in Afghanistan”. He also does not shy away from admitting that, at times, regret gnaws at him for leaving Afghanistan.
“At the bottom of our hearts, we feel we have lost so badly, we lost Afghanistan, we lost our dreams,” he confessed.
Balki did his education in India and he was also the deputy chief of mission at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi.
“I was in India for 12 years,” he reminisced as his tone softened. “I have done my study in India. I did my diplomatic career in India.”
In the subcontinent, he found a sense of belonging, drawing parallels between Delhi and Kabul. The commonalities mostly were able to serve as a balm for his homesickness.
Nation’s fall into Taliban’s hands
August 15, 2021, marked a sombre turning point for Balkhi and his friends.
“It was as usual… I left my home for university to take classes,” he recalled, a sense of normalcy threading through his words.
But the day’s events quickly shattered that normalcy, he said. The city’s atmosphere shifted dramatically, roads were blocked, and rumours of the Taliban’s return circulated.
“I realized that I was mistaken,” Balkhi conceded and said that the Taliban’s actions contradicted the narrative at the time that they have changed.
The extrajudicial activities in Afghanistan revealed the true face of Taliban 2.0.
Balkhi, whose writings are anti-Talibani, recognised soon enough that there is a threat to his life under the new regime.
For Balkhi, education was central to Afghanistan’s progress.
Having served in the Ministry of Education during a time of security upheaval, he understood the pivotal role schools played in shaping the nation’s future.
“Even in remote areas,” he said, recalling the days before the Taliban made a comeback, “it was not the case” that girls were prevented from going to school. However, the Taliban’s rise led to the closure of hundreds of schools, thwarting the progress he had strived for.
Hope in the face of uncertainty
Despite the dark clouds cast by the Taliban’s return, Balkhi is optimistic about Afghanistan’s resilience.
“I still believe that the Taliban could not long-last,” he asserted, placing faith in the bravery of Afghan women who are resisting.
Balkhi concluded his conversation with WION with a cautionary message to the world. “Afghanistan will be the unique case,” he predicted, “where diplomatic ties will be formed with a terrorist group”.
He urged the global community to “act jointly before it is too difficult to compensate”. Mirwais Balkhi’s journey, marked by hope, captures the intricate layers of a nation in turmoil.
As he navigates his new life on foreign soil, his thoughts often return to the country he still considers home. He yearns for the day when the shadows of despair will recede, and the light of progress will once again illuminate Afghanistan’s path.
