Afghan cadets in India face limbo with no army to serve

An Afghan women cadet fires a target during a practice session at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Dec. 11, 2017. (AFP)

• 82 Afghan cadets have been stranded in India since the Taliban takeover in 2021
• Afghan Embassy offered them some support, but it ceased operations in India

NEW DELHI: Ajmal Hoodman took a course at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun to undergo training and return to Afghanistan as an officer. But everything suddenly changed in August 2021, when the government that sent him to India collapsed as the Taliban took over the country.
Hoodman, 27, who graduated as lieutenant four months later, no longer had an army to serve.
He is not the only one. A few dozen more Afghan cadets, not only of the Dehradun academy but also the National Defence Academy in Pune and the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, found themselves stranded in India, some fearing for their lives under Afghanistan’s new rulers, whom many of them had earlier fought.
“Many of us got inspired by our grand family members and for most of us it was a dream, pride and honor to wear the army uniform,” Hoodman told Arab News.
“In total, we are 82 Afghan National Army officers.”
That army, which supported Afghanistan’s previous Western-backed administration, no longer exists.
Indian military schools started to train Afghans in 1948. The academies have a set number of seats allocated for cadets from friendly foreign nations and the fees are covered by their respective countries.
The NDA, which admits cadets directly after school, provides a graduate degree from Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
After completing this degree, cadets proceed to the Indian Military Academy for a year-long specialized military training, leading to their commission as army officers.
Parvez Amna Bakhshi, a 23-year-old boxing and Kung Fu medalist with a merit card from the NDA, graduated in November 2022.
But his training is not complete yet. For nearly a year, he has been waiting for clearance to continue the program and to have his student visa reviewed.
Bakhshi comes from Panjshir, a region that has a history of resistance. In the 1980s, its famed commander Ahmad Shah Massoud defended it from Soviet forces and in the 1990s led an offensive against the first Taliban regime.
In 2021, Panjshir was the last to fall to Taliban forces.
“We are ready to give blood to take our country back, but due to lack of support and leadership, resistance against the Taliban is not possible,” he told Arab News.
Bakhshi’s name is permanently engraved in the NDA gymnasium, owing to his accomplishments. They mean little, however, in a reality where he and his fellow cadets are left in limbo.
“We’re unable to cover our finances,” he said. “India has left us in the dark.”
The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi had earlier offered some support to them, but now even the embassy is no more. The mission ceased its operations on Oct. 1, citing a lack of support from Indian authorities.
India does not recognize the Taliban government and suspended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after their return to power. In June 2022, New Delhi deployed a “technical team” to the Afghan capital to “monitor and coordinate” Indian humanitarian assistance there.
Since then, the embassy, whose staff were appointed by the previous regime, lost its diplomatic significance. The mission said in a statement announcing the closure that it could not “function normally” in the “absence of diplomatic consideration and systemic support” from the Indian government.
Bakhshi had hoped for the much-coveted scholarship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Including Afghans in the ICCR’s annual program for foreign nationals seeking undergraduate and postgraduate education in India was part of New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen ties with the government in Kabul. Under the scholarship, Afghan students received a stipend of $300 and housing assistance.
Bakhshi has been trying to get it — to no avail.
“This scholarship can at least help us continue our degree or learn some other skill so as to take up a job, as our financial situation is too bad,” he said. “We are just spending what we have in our savings, which won’t last long.”
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the status of Afghan cadets.
Out of 82, two have their stay secured under the ICCR scheme and another nine are still undergoing training at their respective academies. The rest are idle and in legal limbo.
“Each of us is ready to give our lives for our country, but right now it’s about supporting ourselves and our families back home,” said Lt. Esmatullah Asil, a 27-year-old graduate of the Dehradun academy.
“So many times, we knocked on different doors, but they just gave excuses. Our expectation is only visa or scholarships, which is not a very big deal.”