Mangaluru: Afghan students who are currently in the last year their courses, or those who tend to complete their courses this year, have requested a visa extension for at least six months ahead.
The students visited the City Police Commissioner Office on Saturday and expressed their concern to the City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar and DCP (law and order) Hariram Shankar.
A total of 58 Afghan students study in the city, and from them 11 have returned home.
Some of them live with their families.
On the sidelines of this meeting, Nasir Ahmad Shafiei, a PhD student, told TOI that their main concern was an extension of the visa and passport update.
“Visa of some students, especially in the last year, can end in September, and the expansion of their visa for about six months will be useful.
We also asked the Indian government to provide Afghan students who have passed to obtain work permissions and refugee status, so that They overcome their problems, especially financial problems.
We hope the Indian government will provide humanitarian assistance to help students and researchers trapped in Afghanistan, so they can return, and don’t miss the academic year, “he said.
The students said that nearly 100 Afghan students chosen for educational support by the Indian government could be given an emergency visa to come here, because the academic year began.
They also hope that the government will help students who want to return to reunite with their families, who are in Afghanistan.
Some students say that it hurts to see certain incidents, because they have a night without sleep.
They are mostly related to their families through text messages.
The women said that their dreams were destroyed, because of the events that had happened back home.
They come to India to study, and want to go back and work in their country.
They worry about the future.
City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar assured all possible cooperation for their safety, and said that their concern would be distributed to the state government.
The state government appointed an additional DGP Umesh Kumar as a nodal officer to coordinate with the central government to bring back countries stranded in Afghanistan.
(Eom)
Afghan students appeal for work permits, Aid Edu
