After fleeing Taliban rule, many Afghans struggle to resettle, worry for those back home
Some resettled say credentials not recognized, extended family members don't qualify join them
Two years after the Taliban captured his hometown of Kabul, Ahmad Muslim Khuram still remembers the scenes of chaos in the Afghan capital.
The former CEO of Bakhtar Afghan Airlines says he was on his way to a meeting on Aug. 15, 2021, when he noticed people frantically running through the streets. Soon after, a group of armed men burst into his office.
"They said, 'Hand over everything to us,'" said Khuram, who spent the next two weeks trying to escape Afghanistan with his family as bedlam gripped Kabul's airport.
Shinkai Karokhail, a human rights activist and former Afghan ambassador to Canada, says she was shocked by the speed with which the Taliban took over the capital, leaving scores of terrified residents desperately trying to get on any flight out of the city.
"Only a few of us were able to do that," said Karokhail, who was able to fly to Bahrain five days after the takeover.
Many watched in horror as Afghans, desperate to escape, grabbed hold of planes as they took off. Some fell to their deaths.
Now permanent residents, Khuram and Karokhail say while they eventually managed to make it to Canada with their families and are grateful to have settled in Mississauga, they have struggled with the challenges of starting fresh in a new country while leaving behind family and worry about those still in the country under the Taliban's thumb.
Canada still short of pledge to resettle 40,000 Afghans
Geoffrey Hayes, a University of Waterloo history professor, says while the Taliban made several assurances to not completely roll back women's rights in the country, most of those promises were ultimately abandoned.
"Those provisions are pretty well cut off," said Hayes, who adds many of the people targeted by the Taliban as it took over were unable to escape.
WATCH: Many Afghans having to start new careers in Canada after fleeing Taliban:
Canada has accepted 36,000 Afghans into the country over the last two years, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a few thousand short of the 40,000 it pledged to resettle in 2021.
Wendy Long, the founder of Afghan Canadian Interpreters, a group dedicated to helping to rescue and resettle Afghan translators who helped Canadian Forces overseas, says although it has taken over two years to close in on that target, Canada should remain committed to the objective and even expand the program.
"It gives hope to those remaining in Afghanistan that they are not forgotten," said Long.
'I lost my friends, my family, my constituency'
Karokhail says she hasn't started a new job since coming to Canada, but has continued to advocate for international attention to the issues facing Afghanistan, including the Taliban's systematic elimination of women from social, political and economic life in the country.
"The biggest challenge for myself is that I could not accept what I went through, why I lost my country, why I lost my family, my friends, my constituency," said Karokhail, who was an elected member of parliament in Afghanistan.
She says over 60 per cent of the decrees issued by the Taliban since it took over have been against women, including removing the right to work, study or travel without a male guardian present.
"Overnight, we lost all our achievements," said Karokhail.
The former ambassador now lives in Mississauga with her four children, three of whom are attending university and working part-time to help the family make ends meet.
Khuram came to Canada with his wife, two daughters and father-in-law, but had to leave his father, mother and sister behind in Kabul.
WATCH | Former Afghan ambassador to Canada shocked by the speed of Taliban takeover:
He says he was given one-year window to bring family members to Canada, but the government told him extended family members wouldn't qualify.
"In Afghanistan, that is still our family," says Khuram, adding he hasn't received any updates on whether they will be processed or not.
He says he hopes the policy of only allowing immediate family will change.
CBC News reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, but did not receive a response.
Nevertheless, Khuram tells CBC News, going back to Afghanistan is not an option for those who have escaped since the Taliban came back to power.
"They don't see any future for their families, for their kids or for themselves."
Khuram has two daughters who he says would not be able to attend school beyond a certain age under the current regime.
He says he's been impressed with the level of education his daughters have received in Canada. His eldest daughter Minha, now in Grade 3, says she wants to go back to Afghanistan when she's older.
"I want to be a doctor to help everyone," she said.
'Starting from scratch is very hard'
Khuram now works as an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) technician, a career he started after being unable to find a position in his field.
"Starting from scratch is very hard," said Khuram, but adds that he is grateful to be working.
Khuram applied for the Ontario Student Assistance Program and received certification in HVAC after passing all his government exams, but says it has been challenging working in a physically demanding job everyday after previously managing staff from behind a desk.
Khuram says this is the difficulty many Afghans face resettling in Canada, as many with higher education don't have their credentials recognized and have to start in challenging new careers.
He says many also struggle to find housing without credit cards, bank statements or work history in Canadian, adding it took four months for his family to find the house they are currently living in.
But, he says, it pales in comparison to what people are enduring under the Taliban's rule.
"There is no opportunity, there is no hope, no education for the girls, no work opportunities for women."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Najib Asil, Mirna Djukic and Marina von Stackelberg