Deadly consequences of strict visa rules

Journalists from various countries are trapped with no signs of getting out of Kabul

Last week I spoke with two trusted colleagues. It felt like I was talking to the same person in time lapse mode. One of them was in Kabul, Afghanistan and the other was in Yangon, Myanmar. 
My friend in Myanmar was foreshadowing what was likely to happen in Afghanistan. Both countries have gone through tremendous upheavals this year. One may be hard pressed than the other. But the feeling of betrayal is unequivocal. 

My friend in Kabul was talking about the sharks in the humanitarian pool. “There are organisations that left Kabul without even issuing letters to their staff that now appear on online meetings on extractions and evacuations from here. I can’t figure out how they are not asked about who is responsible for their staff left behind.” I have encountered passing shades of these sharks in some groups I happen to be a member of. 

It will not be easy to get those who have been stranded in Afghanistan. A source within an international rights body told me that some of those who could not get out before the Americans left were those who were from areas outside Kabul. They lacked the networks and the communications skills to get on the lists. Like regional journalists from areas like Herat. My sources spoke to me about how international organisations miscalculated the Taliban drive to Kabul and the strength of the Ashraf Ghani government. Most of these journalists did not get any kind of warning that gave them sufficient time to get themselves and their families out. Even those that I have been in contact with, were in the process of obtaining passports for family members including young children when the government fell. 

"About a decade back, Colombo was a relatively hassle free destination for Afghan passports on visit visas. However, the situation has changed in recent years with concerns rising over people smuggling and Colombo being used as a transit point. Colombo had become stricter even before the US-backed administration was wobbling"

Obtaining passports is only the first step to getting out. Visa processing will follow. They would have to wait for the processing while facing the dangers on the ground. The option of relocating to neighbouring or regional countries has also become a complicated and costly affair. The airport remains closed with no sign it would open. Land borders remain unreliable.  

There are currently efforts underway in Sri Lanka and Nepal to pressure authorities to relax strict entry regulations currently imposed on Afghan passports. Colombo has informed diplomats and other international interlocutors that no Afghan passports would allowed entry into Colombo even with e-visa. About a decade back, Colombo was a relatively hassle free destination for Afghan passports on visit visas. However, the situation has changed in recent years with concerns rising over people smuggling and Colombo being used as a transit point. Colombo had become stricter even before the US-backed administration was wobbling. 

"It will not be easy to get those who have been stranded in Afghanistan. A source within an international rights body told me that some of those who could not get out before the Americans left were those who were from areas outside Kabul. They lacked the networks and the communications skills to get on the lists. Like regional journalists from areas like Herat"

“At the moment, several media professionals, including women journalists who could end up as victims of barbarism and may have to pay with their lives, are preparing to leave the country in search of safety and protection of their lives. Accordingly, Sri Lanka has an honourable opportunity to act under the agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in collaboration with other countries in the region. There is an opportunity for this to be accomplished following the due health and quarantine methods followed by foreign tourist groups and sports teams when arriving in this country,” the six member Sri Lanka media collective this week wrote to ministers Dullas Alahapperuma and G.L.Peiris. 

However, those close to the efforts to secure free passage to Afghan colleagues told me that the letter was in no way going to influence Colombo to change track. What could be a plausible expectation is creating regional awareness that may lead to thawing of the strict travel regulations gradually. 

For my colleague in Yangon, all this was déjà vu. He experienced first-hand the sudden departures and the subsequent feelings of abandonment and utter betrayal. “Both our countries put too much at stake on the commitments of big powers. Now we live to pay for those mistakes.” 
His parting words to me last week were that we should at least now focus on building regional and national strengths. And don’t trust the sharks. 

The writer is a journalism researcher and a writer and can be reached on [email protected]