NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of Afghans living in India took to the streets on Monday to ramp up demands for refugee status, amid growing fears in the community following the Taleban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan.
They rallied outside the United Nations (UN) refugee agency’s office in the capital New Delhi, chanting slogans and demanding justice and security, especially for Afghan children and women.
“We were victims of war, and now we are the victims of an unclear future,” read one poster.
Most of the Afghans protesting outside the UN office said they fled to India more than 10 years ago but are still waiting to be recognised as refugees. Many get trapped within a complex bureaucratic process to register as refugees in India, and struggle to live a dignified life, they said.
India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.
As of 2019, Afghans accounted for about a third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered in India, according to the UN refugee agency.
But this figures excludes those not registered with the UN.
Calls for formal recognition as refugees in India have intensified in recent days, as hopes for a return home held by thousands of Afghan refugees were dashed by the Taliban’s shockingly swift takeover of the country.
Another protest on Monday saw dozens of Indian activists as well as Afghans gather to denounce the Taleban, as well as press for justice and asylum for Afghans fleeing the country.
