Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Last Massacre of the hope for peace rays of Celina Afghanista­n: in

- Sugandha Rawal

Actor Celina Jaitly is deeply concerned about the safety of her close ones who are stranded in Afghanista­n, as the country goes through a turmoil, with Taliban taking control. She says the current stir takes away any hope for peace in the region.

“What happened in Afghanista­n is the massacre of the last rays of hope for peace and growth. American leadership poorly executed Afghanista­n-related policies over the last 20 years under three administra­tions. They didn’t give enough time to the peace process to produce an acceptable result,” she notes.

The actor, who is now settled in Austria, has a bond with Afghanista­n as she was born in Kabul. Her mother was from Afghanista­n and that makes the pain more intense.

The 39-year-old adds, “Now, 30-40 million Afghans have been left as refugees and hostages in their own country. And for the safety of people known to me still stranded there, I’m unable to answer everything that might lead a trail to them. Their life depends on it.”

Earlier, she took to social media to open up about her Afghan roots. She shared that her great grandfathe­r’s mother

“was a beautiful Afghan refugee from an affluent fa escaping protection from oppression”, which brough the family to India. She wro “My fondness for the count and love for its people mak my blood scream with pain the current circumstan­ces.

Jaitly feels heartbroke­n a helpless as she watches millions of dollars and “end bloodshed” — which also deprived kids of their childhood — go to waste, w the country falling into the hands of Taliban. “This has changed the course of a lifetime for all Afghani peo A waste of a million sacrific [made for the nation for peace],” she concludes.

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