In a story reminiscent of a film, Indian national Iqra Jamal and her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter finally returned to India on Wednesday after being stranded in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for over three years.
Iqra, who is married to an Afghan national, had traveled to Afghanistan just before the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. Amid the ensuing chaos, she and her husband were unable to board evacuation flights back to India.
During this period, Iqra discovered she was pregnant. The Times of India first reported her case in January 2022 when she was five months along. With limited funds and facing uncertainty, she gave birth in Afghanistan after Indian citizens raised money for her delivery, following an appeal by activist Rahul Kapoor.
“I have lived through immense fear, depression, and anxiety, especially in the early months of the Taliban’s return,” Iqra shared, reflecting on her ordeal.
