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Abdul Qayum Hemat pictured Aug. 11, 2021, through the window of a hotel where he and his family are quarantined since arriving from Afghanistan. Abdul is one of many former drivers who spent years shuttling Canadian officials and embassy staff around Afghanistan.
Eduardo Lima/The Globe and Mail
An advocate for former drivers at the Canadian embassy in Afghanistan, who finally made it to Canada with his family, is urging Ottawa to swiftly resettle those still waiting to be extricated as the hard-line Islamist Taliban captures large parts of the war-torn country.
Abdul Qayum Hemat, who previously spent 13 years driving Canadian staff around Afghanistan, said he, his wife and children are quarantining in a hotel, after having arrived in Canada a few days ago.
“Since we came here, we’ve seen so many changes in our feelings,” he said in an interview. “We feel very safe and happy here.”
Mr. Qayum Hemat spoke to The Globe and Mail last month on behalf of a group of former drivers who worked for the Canadian embassy in Kabul. At the time, he said the Canadian government was ignoring their calls for help, saying that they would be the first targets for the Taliban after the U.S. withdrew its forces from the country because they worked for a foreign government.
Later in July, after mounting pressure to act, the Liberal government announced special immigration measures to bring thousands of Afghan nationals who worked for the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian diplomatic staff, as well as their family members, to Canada. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said at the announcement that “the risk of retribution from the Taliban is grave.”
The government has confirmed that the first flight of Afghans arrived in Toronto last Wednesday. On Sunday, “more than one” additional flight carrying Afghans also landed, according to Alexander Cohen, a spokesperson for the Immigration Minister. Mr. Cohen said the government could not be more specific because any details might put the security operation in Afghanistan, and those already in danger, at greater risk.
“We rely on the advice of our armed forces, and we’re not going to do anything that would risk the lives of those we’re trying to protect,” Mr. Cohen said in an e-mail statement.
He added that, “to protect the security and privacy of resettled individuals and extended family who may remain in Afghanistan, we will not be sharing details while the operation is in progress. This includes the number of arrivals and other details that might give the Taliban or others a window into the progress of this extremely sensitive operation.”
Mr. Mendicino previously said that he expected “several thousand” people would be brought from Afghanistan under the new program.
First flight of Afghans to Canada a ‘relief’ but advocates say more needs to be done faster
‘Blind desperation’: Afghans rush to be included in Canadian resettlement program
After a few tense weeks of uncertainty, Mr. Qayum Hemat and his family arrived in Canada. He said that while his family is happy, it’s also been hard leaving home and watching his country deteriorate from afar.
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“We have relatives there,” he said. “Every day, we see on social media that the situation is getting worse.”
Mr. Qayum Hemat said he is particularly concerned about former employees of the Canadian embassy who are still waiting for confirmation of their travel arrangements from Ottawa.
“I’m worried because I feel for them, I understand because I was also in Kabul, and the day I left the situation got worse,” he said, adding he’s urging the Canadian government to move quickly.
A number of former embassy employees previously shared stories with The Globe about threats they faced after working for the Canadian government and about their pleas for help. Some have arrived in Canada, while others are still waiting to hear from the government about when they can leave the country.
A former driver, whom The Globe is not identifying because he says he fears retribution, said he is still waiting for the government to confirm his flight. He said he believes it could be taking a bit longer because he also requested to bring his late brother’s family who depend on him financially. He said if he leaves them behind, their lives could be in danger. His brother was killed by an armed group in January.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act defines a family member as a spouse or common-law partner, a dependent child or a grandchild. De facto dependents are not defined as family members, but are still eligible to apply under the special program because they depend on a specific family member for emotional or financial support, or both.
A former senior embassy employee told The Globe last month that he fled the country after he was attacked by Taliban insurgents. He said he had been pleading with Ottawa to help extricate his wife and three young children, still stuck in Kabul, but had not heard from the government yet.
From his hotel room, Mr. Qayum Hemat said his family is counting down the days until their quarantine time is up. His children look out the window, pleading to go out. But they are passing time by watching cartoons, he said.
What comes next for his family is still up in the air. Mr. Qayum Hemat said they hope to settle in Toronto but that an immigration officer said they may be resettled in another province, such as British Columbia or Alberta.
There are a few immediate things on his to-do list once they are settled in their new home: send his two kids to kindergarten, his wife, Krishma, will start taking English-language classes and he will look for employment.
“We hope that Afghanistan gets better … but we are happy that we live here.”
With a report from Menaka Raman-Wilms
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