The Old Kabul

The Old Kabul

The Old Kabul

Old Kabul

It was in 1970 if I remember correctly I went to Kabul by bus from Peshawar. It took almost the whole day to reach the destination. On the way our Afghan driver was a talkative one and told us that whatever we see better in Pakistan is due to the efforts of the British. He admitted that Afghanistan had remained far behind.

When we reached Kabul what we first saw was an elevated platform where recitation of the Holy Quran was going on round the clock by a loud speaker. There was a grand mosque nearby which I visited to see and pray there.

In the heart of the city there is a modern hotel and shops where imported goods are also available. I hired a room in a middle class hotel nearby. As I went to the dinning room I was surprised to see that there was hardly any tea with milk. One could have tea only without milk. In the meals one could hardly have any vegetable but delicious seekh kebabs and tikkas with naans were available in everywhere in the country. Fruit especially grapes and melons were in abundance. One could see donkeys laden with grapes standing in the market where people could purchase them there and then.

In the morning I went to a nearby post office for sending a letter home. When I asked for a stamped envelope, the Post Master told me there were no stamps here. All I was supposed to do was tell him where the letter needed to be sent. He would then write the payable amount on the envelope to be sent. I paid the amount and handed over the letter to the Post Master.

Afghanistan appeared to be a very poor country where even in the cities most of the houses were of mud but with some very expensive carpets and foreign goods. There was however, a new satellite town where there was modern housing. One morning I just thought if at all there was any social work department around. After some search I landed in a dark and dingy small room made of mud. I was told the department of social work resided there. When I entered the room I found that it was a vaccination center with a room above for the doctor. I went above and found the doctor sitting in his lounge eating grapes. There were hardly any patients in the area neither any department of social work nor anybody knew about it.

Most of the women in the city were wearing Burqas (long gowns covering the head) but there number in the streets negligible. I saw an elderly Pathan driving a fully loaded donkey with all sorts of household goods even his charpoi (bed). Both the man and his wife were on foot. While moving he was loudly saying khbardar, khbardar' (beware, beware).

Emperor Zaheer-ud-Din Babur was fond of and buried in Kabul. I went to see his grave and offer Fateha a little distance from Kabul city. I saw the grave was situated in a dry, dilapidated and neglected small garden, hardly visited by anyone. In a city like Kabul there seemed to be a little change in younger generation. I saw students both boys and girls, going to schools and university in western dress.

I visited Kabul University from where I wanted a copy of prospectus or a bulletin giving general information about the university. When I reached its office I saw young girls seemingly more Europeanized than Europeans themselves in dress, language and culture. I asked the secretary of the Vice Chancellor of the University for a bulletin. But she did not know English, only Persian and French. I tried to communicate in my limited Persian which surprisingly worked. She sent me to the next room of the Vice Chancellor where I met a fully westernized gentleman whom I expressed my desire. He gladly gave me a copy of the bulletin after getting my name and address. It is interesting that the university offered a BA Degree course in international affairs and diplomacy.

When I left Kabul I felt it had a lot of capacity to grow and prosper but times proved otherwise.

Wasim Syed

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