Professors from Muzaffarpur, J&K still stuck at Kabul varsity

PATNA: Muzaffarpur’s Syed Abid Hussain (50), an assistant professor of business management at Bakhtar University in Kabul, the capital of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, is among the Indians still trapped in the disturbed country.
Hussain’s three colleagues from J&K, including Mohammad Aasif Shah and Adil Rasool, are also stranded on the university campus in Kabul.
Abid’s younger brother Majid Hussain, former deputy mayor of Muzaffarpur, said his brother, though stuck on the university campus, is completely safe.
“We are hopeful that the government of India will rescue all countrymen stranded in Afghanistan, including my brother. The Union ministry of external affairs authorities communicated with Abid and others on Wednesday night and asked them to remain prepared to leave the country with just two luggage,” he said.
Majid said he has no knowledge if the team in Kabul or MEA authorities are in touch with Taliban for safe passage of the trapped Indians.
“Abid and others are living in their quarters on the university campus. The mess is functioning and they are getting food. The university authorities are in constant touch with them,” he said.
The former mayor said his elder brother had come home for a few days and returned to Kabul on July 25. “The situation suddenly deteriorated in Kabul on August 15. The university is shut now,” he added.
“Abid was supposed to return to India by a commercial flight on Wednesday. However, all commercial flights have been grounded in Afghanistan now,” he said.
Majid said Abid has a wife, a daughter studying in Class II and a son who is an Intermediate student. “We all live together in Chandwara,” he said, adding Majid had joined the Bakhtar University almost one-and-a-half-years back.
TOI traced the twitter handle of Abid and found that he had tweeted at 9.42pm on August 15, seeking rescue after Taliban entered Kabul.
Abid tweeted, “We are four Indians teaching in one university in Afghanistan and are stuck. We have tried several times to coordinate with the embassy people, but to no avail. Kindly rescue us.”