Taliban Takeover: Fears of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan
Afghan refugees in Pakistan have expressed a mixed reaction to the takeover of their country by the Taliban. Some of them are hopeful that the Taliban will bring peace to the war-torn country. Many are worried of the strict implementation of laws and a crackdown on the freedom that women enjoy.. 45-year-old Hassan Khela is cooking a meal for her family of nine. The steam from the kettle further heats her already hot and humid kitchen. She doesn't know what her family will eat tomorrow. Her husband is a laborer and earns a daily wage if he gets work. In the evening he sells potato chips but the small venture is hardly profitable. The family lives in abject poverty in an Afghan refugee settlement in Peshawar, Pakistan. Dirty alleys, clogged sideways with garbage, clothes hanging outside as a covering on the rundown doors is how Hassan Khela’s street looked. Many of her neighbors like her are living with meager incomes. Khela is an Afghan citizen. Nine months ago her son who was an A