“Afghan refugees in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar fear they may never be able to return home after the Taliban’s resurgence.”
Lajpat Nagar, often referred to as “Little Kabul” due to its large Afghan community, has recently been overwhelmed by a sense of fear and uncertainty as the Taliban’s rapid rise in Afghanistan impacts its residents. Situated in south Delhi, this vibrant neighborhood, filled with Afghan businesses and cultural markers, has long been a safe haven for Afghan refugees. For many, it’s a place where the taste of home lives on, with Afghan restaurants, pharmacies, and beauty parlors lining the streets.
However, with the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, many of the Afghan residents of Lajpat Nagar are beginning to fear that they may never be able to return to their homeland. The community, which has been established in the area for decades, has seen a dramatic shift in sentiment since the fall of Kabul last Sunday.
Ashabuddin Hamdar, an Afghan refugee who fled Afghanistan in 2014 after refusing to work with the Taliban, fears for his family’s safety. He recalls receiving threats from the Taliban against his wife and children, compelling him to flee to India. Despite being in Delhi for over three years, the thought of his family still in Afghanistan haunts him. “If I go back now, I will be killed,” said Hamdar, his concern for his children mirrored in the faces of those around him.
The Afghan refugee population in India has grown over the years, with approximately 16,000 Afghan refugees residing in the country, many in Delhi. Lajpat Nagar, originally built to house refugees following the 1947 Partition, became home to Afghan refugees after the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s. Yet, for many, the prospect of returning to Afghanistan has now become a distant dream, if not an impossible one.
Nilafur Ahmadi, who left Kabul seven years ago, never imagined her departure would be permanent. “Everyone wants to return to their country someday,” she said, reflecting on the sadness that now accompanies that hope. For some, the reality of the Taliban’s return has made the prospect of homecoming feel even more out of reach.
Shabir Ahmad, a young man who fled Kabul three years ago after his family received death threats from the Taliban, echoed similar sentiments. His family, once high-ranking government officials, left everything behind to seek refuge in India. The threat of violence is ever-present for many in the Afghan diaspora, who continue to live in fear of the Taliban’s wrath.
