Ever since I started flying to Europe in the early 90s, I always wanted to visit Afghanistan, particularly the Buddha’s of Bamiyan and Lakes of Band e Ameer. In the early 70s, when we lived in Peshawar, I had heard from my uncle stories of college student groups going to Kabul from Peshawar and watching Indian movies in cinemas, enjoying Afghan food, and buying cheap electronics in Kabul’s markets. During the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, I always read news and articles on Afghan Jihad in the papers keenly.
The destruction of Buddhas at Bamiyan by the Taliban and the landmines issue that killed many Afghan children during the war was of particular interest to me. Since I worked as a tour guide for several years in Pakistan with Japanese and Western tourists, I had developed a special interest in Buddhism and Buddhist sites in Gandhara which extended from Taxila in the East to Jalalabad and Bamiyan in the West.
The Pushtun tribes of Afghanistan due to their language and cultural similarities had migrated to the refugee camps across the border near Peshawar and Quetta and lived for a long time. Most of the children born in Pakistan had studied in schools and colleges in Pakistan so they could communicate in Urdu easily.
The Pushtun tribes of Afghanistan due to their language and cultural similarities had migrated to the refugee camps across the border near Peshawar and Quetta and lived for a long time. Most of the children born in Pakistan had studied in schools and colleges in Pakistan so they could communicate in Urdu easily.
Blog by: Amir Khalid