'There’s less hope and more concern': Afghan family worried for their relatives

A local family with family in Afghanistan is worried for their safety.

CTV News spoke with Saboor Khan and his mother Torpeky back in August, when the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan.

Today, they express concern over their family and friends still living in that country.

“People have lost their jobs. They don’t have income anymore, they don’t have the opportunities they had before the Taliban takeover,” said Saboor.

This week, the Taliban decreed that all women must wear a full coverage burqa in public.

As Torpeky explains to CTV News, not only is it taking away the freedom of choice for women in that country, but it’s becoming a major financial burden.

The price to purchase a burqa has gone up exponentially in the country’s current economic state.

“A lot of people don’t have money to eat, how can they buy a burqa?” said Torpeky.

Her son adds that it’s forcing more women to stay at home if they can’t afford one which means they won’t have the opportunity to interact and learn in society, creating a larger gender equality gap.

In August, Torpeky spoke of her sister trying to flee Afghanistan and come to Canada during the Taliban takeover.

Her sister managed to make it to Pakistan with the promise from the Canadian government that it would be easier to immigrate from there, but she has yet to receive approval.

Saboor Khan believes Canada hasn’t made it easy for Afghan refuges to seek safety in this country.

“It’s wonderful to see how the Canadian government had stepped forward for Ukraine,” he said. “And I would argue the situation in Afghanistan is at least equal, if not more precarious, and there were certain promises made and nothings been done.”

As the Khan family continue to fight to bring their family to Canada, they hope the Canadian government will do more to help the rights and freedoms of Afghan women, including positive pressure and incentives for the Taliban government, rather than more violence and war.