Before heading to Montreal to study political science and economics, the 19-year-old planned to spend only a few weeks back in Afghanistan.  She was visiting her family after graduating from high school in Hyderabad, India.
But her visit coincided with the Taliban taking power on August 15.  She had to spend months living under her rule in the capital Kabul – with her education at stake.

“TRAUMATIC” MONTHS IN AFGHANISTAN

Lashkari says she will never forget the day her country turned into an “Islamic emirate” right before her eyes.
“At first I thought, ‘No, no, this is a joke’, but then everyone was in a state of panic and desperate to get out,” he said.  “Everyone was running at the airport: man or woman, young or old. Everyone.”
When Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, there was no escape as all international flights were cancelled.  For Lashkari, that meant she would have to give up her Canadian dream.
He remembers hearing explosions at the Kabul airport, where some Afghans even tried to hang onto a US Air Force plane as it took off to flee the country.
Laskari said she was afraid to leave home as a young woman in a country that was “simply unrecognizable,” compared to its democratic era under former president Ashraf Ghani.
“I didn’t want my years of training to go to waste,” he added.  “They even said if a girl is over 15 or a widow, she should marry one of the Taliban.”
Afghan women can no longer travel long distances without a male guardian and are forced to cover their entire bodies with a chadori, a head-to-toe burqa, under an edict from Taliban authorities.

Afghan women wearing head-to-toe coverings wait to receive food rations in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) All women are also barred from secondary education. It was only in October that Lashkari fled to Pakistan on a rare flight that cost her thousands. From there, he applied for a Canadian student visa, which took another four months to be approved. “I had to miss an entire academic year, both fall and winter, but I wasn’t going to give up,” she said.

A NEW LIFE IN CANADA

When Lashkari finally arrived in Montreal in April, she felt a sense of safety and freedom — and also culture shock.
It was a “really, really big” transition for the student.  Her whole family still lives in Afghanistan and she didn’t know what to expect from the Western world.
She was amazed by the size of the big shops, the French spoken on the streets and the support she received from her fellow students once she arrived.
However, the biggest surprise involved her safety.
“What I like about Canada is that I can stay out late at night and not feel intimidated,” she said.
Lashkari arrived just in time for the summer term at Concordia and has already completed four courses toward her double major.
“I’m so glad I chose Concordia, they were really understanding the whole time,” she said.  “I was panicking because I was worried about losing my scholarship, but instead they were guiding me on how to further my education.”
Lashkari is one of only four students to win the Aga Khan Academies – Concordia University Scholarship for top academic performance in high school.
“The university was happy when I told them I got my visa,” he added.
Now Lashkari hopes to enjoy student life in Montreal this fall and says she’s looking forward to her first Canadian winter.
But she believes this is only the beginning of her journey.
“My future plan would be to enter Harvard Law School. Then, as an Afghan, I really hope to return home one day and make a positive contribution to my country.”