Afghan repatriation program shouldn’t be political for Canadian government
Re ‘Just living is taking a chance. Nobody feels safe here,’ Sept. 5
I am an Afghan-Canadian citizen, and I want to share how hard I and my family have worked for peace.
Due to the recent situation in Afghanistan, I have spent this whole time in sadness.
When I was in Kabul in 2017, I met with Afghans who held a volunteer role in the Afghan High Peace Council, which was working towards a peace process. The council was under the direct order of the president. These people they were all in favour of peace.
I agree with most women and fellow commentators that the Doha-Taliban delegation are neither interested in freedoms, nor democracy.
This is because we have not yet seen elections after the fall of the Afghan government.
Most recently, just as the government collapsed, Canada closed all diplomatic channels within the country.
And when Canada called for repatriating thousands of Afghans, it faced an unco-ordinated timetable and (this delivered a) catastrophic blow.
With only 15 days left to go until the U.S. withdrawal date from Afghanistan, this news had strong effect on the people who wanted to leave.
But right now, the Canadian government does not have a timetable and more than a thousand people with links to Canada are stuck. I believe that this government can’t do things by itself when it comes to external affairs.
That’s why Canada must facilitate the Afghan repatriation program by working with Canadian charities and nonprofit organizations who understands the context well.
The government should provide support directly to organizations who are best fit to help Afghans.
Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, Ottawa