Maryam Sadaat, a 24-year-old woman from Afghanistan, died by apparent suicide by jumping off the fifth floor of a building in Islamabad’s sector B-17.
Nazu*, another young Afghan woman living in Pakistan, thinks Maryam was not the only person facing extraordinary mental pressure because she has faced it herself.
When Nazu went to a doctor in Islamabad, she was told she was exhibiting symptoms normally associated with love.
She replied she was in love, but not with any person. She was in love with a country she had left behind that had been run over by Talibs who claimed to be Pakhtoon. She added that these men could not be called Pakhtoons, because they were slaves.
A lawyer by education, Nazu was a recognisable voice speaking on behalf of women in Afghanistan before August 15, 2021. Then Kabul fell.
Thousands of Afghans, including women, made their way to Pakistan to escape the fate that might be in store for them under the new regime. Nazu, along with her three children, was among those who crossed over.
Away from home as a single mother, she continues to piece together a difficult life in a new land.
Speaking to Aaj Digital, Maryam’s mother Bismeena* said her daughter seemed normal as they had dinner on the last day of her life. However, Bismeena added that Maryam would often complain about difficult life was in Pakistan.
She said that Maryam would talk about going to another country. However, her mother would remind her that there was a problem with the renewal of their visas.
Bismeena said Maryam was educated but was struggling in finding work in Pakistan. In the days before her death she had been in talks with another workplace, but things ended in disappointment. On top of their other torubles, they had to pay rent as well as an inflated electricity bill worth Rs50,000.
As the mother went to bed, Maryam was talking to her fiancee who lives in Mazar Sharif in Afghanistan. The fiancee apparently asked her for money, but Maryam replied they were hardly making ends meet themselves. The family had already taken out loans to meet daily expenses, and the demand for money from her the fiancee pushed her to the brink.
Bismeena said she jumped out of the building soon after ending the call. Some neighbors tried to take her to the hospital but she passed away on the way.
She added that her daughter had been engaged only six months ago but the boy had been unable to obtain a visa to Pakistan. On top of that Maryam was also facing visa renewal issues and the Bismeena herself has been waiting months for her P2 visa.
P2 visas are given to Afghan citizens who have worked for projects that received American funding.
She has four other children apart from Maryam, including two sons who are being in held in Turkey for trying to migrate illegally.
Nazu told Aaj Digital that her father had been a university professor in Afghanistan and had retired during the Ashraf Ghani government. However, the Taliban stopped his pension after coming to power.
Apart from banning women from working, many government employees faced action over allegations of spying. As a result, thousands were displaced from jobs and had to leave the country to find work.
However, Nazu blames western countries as well. She said that it was no mystery how the Taliban had managed to achieve a takeover in 16 days after struggling for 20 years.
She added that, like Maryam, she had also faced crippling depression. She added that women in particular faced a paralysing fear that would not even let them sleep. Eventually, treatments helped bring some stability.
Apart from the emotional weight of leaving behind their home, the migrants also had to deal with the harsh attitude of Pakistan’s police as well as the general misery of living in a strange land.
Troubles with visa renewals are enough of a problem, but daily raids and questioning from police make lives doubly miserable. Paying up some money is often the only way out. The money needed is often in hundreds of thousands. Arranging the cash is anothe nightmare.
She added that upto six months after the fall of Kabul, many foreign agencies helped the people of Afghanistan. However, the support gradually ended.
Many people in both Afghanistan and Pakistan waste away in wait of visas. Some like Maryam, take the final leap towards death when the pressures become unbearbale.
*Name changed to protect privacy
