Eid is meaningless in refugee life: Balkh IDPs

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): People who are displaced by war and currently live in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, say they miss their village and homes where they could celebrate Eid with joys.

They say they have made no preparations for celebration of the coming Eid due to poverty and displacement.

The IDPs ask the government and Taliban to agree on peace and ceasefire so it would help them return to their own areas.

Najiba, 35, a resident of ChaharBolak district of Balkh province, is one of many women who left their areas and displaced to Mazar-i-Sharif city due to conflicts.

She said that it was the first time she was away from her village, home and relatives during an Eid festival. She said that they had not prepared for celebration of the holidays due to poverty and their displacement.

“When we were in the village, we would buy new clothes for ourselves and our children a few days ahead of Eid and would visit our relatives during the holidays,” she added.

“Several days in advance to Eid, we would made preparations, then we would joyfully celebrate these days, we would go to our relatives and our children would entertain, but now our whole life is reduced to this one tent and we do not feel Eid is coming,” Najiba said.

She said it would be a greater day than Eid if peace comes and a ceasefire is announced so that it would let her return to her village along with her family.

GhulamNabi, a resident of Qaisar district of Faryab province who is also displaced by war and currently lives in Mazar-i-Sharif city, said that he did not shop anything for celebration of Eid due to poverty.

He said he observed all days of fasting while eating only bread with cold water in Suhur (pre-dawn meal).

“The Eid is meaningful when you shop various types of fruits and clothes and then celebrate it together with your relatives, but unfortunately we are deprived of these joys,” he said.

He said that if there was no war, he would have been in his own area and would have been celebrating the Eid with his family and friends in joys.

A displaced man from Dawlatabad district of Balkh, NazarGul hoped that the three-day ceasefire during the holidays of Eid would be extended so it would facilitate establishment of peace in the country.

He said that large number of Afghans could not celebrate Eid due to the ongoing war, displacement and bloodshed in the country.

The government and the Taliban should listen to the problems of people and put the violence to an end, he said.

Gul said it would be a greater Eid for him when the war ends and he would be able to return to his village with his family.

This comes as the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation says that the number of people displaced by war is increasing with each passing day.

Noor RahmanAkhlaqi, refugees minister last week during his trip to Balkh province had said that they were preparing assistance for the internally displaced people.

He said that they would survey to find out the real number of displaced people and then help them to get a job.

Absolute majority of these people are forced by war to leave their homes and areas, he had said.