Young Afghan Refugee, who were married in the Age of 14

Kunar is the eastern province of Afghanistan. Its border runs close to Pakistan. Before signing the 1893 agreement with the British rulers, the region was part of Afghanistan. The Durand line divided Pashtun into two parts. Kunar province has not lost its strategic importance since the 1996 Afghan Taliban eruption in the country. Pakistan‘s role in Afghanistan militancy is and remains infamous. The Afghanistan administration accuses Pakistani intelligence agencies for harboring Taliban on its territory, Kunar province, and that’s why the situation is uncertain in most parts of the country. On the other hand, the Pakistani authority also blames the Afghan government for providing a safe haven for Pakistani militants.

The four long decades of war have destroyed the economy, culture, education and each and every aspect of life in Afghanistan. The youth are born into and grow up in a war that remains as harsh as the country’s dry mountains. Hassan Khan is among thousands of young people who want to bring peace and stability to their motherland. He was born in the district of Nooristan, Kunar province. Without modern institutions of education he is able to read and write. He was in the police force for three years but decided to leave and undertake the tough journey from the snow-capped mountains of Kunar to Berlin.

“I was living in a war-torn village. Basic facilities were not available.” There was not a single school, hospital nor any electricity poles in the village. His parents were also unaware of the importance of these facilities. “Sadly, most people consider it their fate to live miserable lives!”, he sighs and drops his head. Hassan regrets his lack of education and blames international powers and neighboring countries for ruining the country by interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

Hassan Khan joined the police force to protect his country from miscreants but he considers those three years the hardest of his life. “The brutal Afghan Taliban would attack us at all times. They would follow soldiers to their homes to target them and make an example of them to weaken the rest of the peace lovers”, Hassan says. The Taliban consider democracy to be an anti-Islamic system of governance and the protectors of the government are proclaimed to be infidel. The Afghanistan army and police are on the front line to protect the system and country from further blood bath. “And because of this, soldiers sacrifice their today for future generations’ tomorrow”, Hassan acknowledges. Hassan Khan kept his profession in the police hidden from most people. Whenever he was in the village, he left his police identity card in the office. “It would be terrible if they [Taliban] found it! They would kill the person without listening to them”, Hassan Khan describes the agony of being a government servant. He would go home without telling anyone and not speak to family members on the phone. There are dozens of spies for the Taliban in government institutions, too.

“At the age of 14, my parents tied the knot between me and a local girl. For more than two years I could not face my parents in the morning”, the shy, young Pashtun says. “My wife was much younger and even shyer than me”, he smiles. Now they have two kids whom he misses a lot. In such harsh and risky circumstances, Hassan Khan left his home for a safer and a better life with tears in his eyes. From Afghanistan he went west to Iran and then Turkey and Bulgaria. “The Bulgarian police treated us like animals and even allowed dogs to bite refugees in contingent”, he recalls. Later on, the government allowed refugees to reach Germany. His asylum case has been accepted and in near future his family will also arrive. Hassan is satisfied that his sons will have a future and is determined to work hard for their education. “I faced a big problem being uneducated so I want my children to flourish. I miss my family!