Daijiworld Media Network - Bamyan
Bamyan, Sep 15: Kerala-based travel vlogger Arunima, popularly known as ‘Backpacker Arunima’, has said she was threatened with arrest by local authorities in Afghanistan’s Bamyan after travelling alone without the permits and a male companion or guide allegedly required under local rules.
Arunima, who has been travelling across Afghanistan and documenting her journey on social media, had earlier posted an SOS message claiming that she had been “arrested” by the “Mujahideen” in Bamyan and appealed for help in contacting the Indian embassy.
In the Facebook post, she shared what she described as a translation of an official communication that read: “You were arrested by the Mujahideen just now because you do not have an official letter.” She also wrote that she was in trouble in Bamyan and sought assistance in reaching the Indian embassy. The circumstances of the alleged arrest and the identity of those who detained her were not initially clear. Her claim could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate official response from the Ministry of External Affairs.
A few hours later, however, Arunima posted a detailed account saying she had been released and was permitted to continue her journey towards her next destination.
According to her account, she reached Bamyan at around 7 pm and was questioned about her passport, visa and travel permit. The authorities allegedly told her that, under the laws in force there, women were not permitted to travel alone and that she had violated the rules.
Arunima said she had earlier been denied a permit in Jalalabad because she was travelling alone. She claimed that permits were not being issued to women travelling alone, leaving her in a difficult situation.
After being told that she could be arrested, Arunima said she became extremely frightened and contacted a man who had previously helped her reach Bamyan. He subsequently spoke to the authorities on her behalf.
According to the vlogger, the authorities insisted that she obtain the required permit and travel with a guide. She said she explained that she was leaving Afghanistan and travelling towards Uzbekistan.
The authorities allegedly told her that because she had remained in Afghanistan for several days while violating the rules, she would have to pay a fine and would not be allowed to leave until the matter was settled. Arunima said she eventually managed to reach an agreement with them and was allowed to proceed to the next country without obtaining a permit.
Describing the experience, Arunima said she believed she was being targeted because she was a woman travelling alone. She contrasted her experience with that of male friends who had travelled through Afghanistan without facing similar difficulties, while saying female travellers she knew had generally travelled with a guide or a man.
She also described the authorities' control over travel as extremely intimidating and said she feared for her safety during the incident. She recounted pleading with the man who had intervened on her behalf and said she spent several hours in intense fear, believing that something serious could happen to her.
Arunima has been travelling alone across different parts of the world for several years and entered Afghanistan weeks ago. She has regularly shared photographs, videos and accounts of her journey on social media. Reports said she has more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram, over 2 lakh followers on Facebook and more than 7 lakh YouTube subscribers.
Her experience in Afghanistan had already attracted attention before the latest incident. In earlier posts, Arunima said immigration officials had initially objected to her travelling alone and had asked her to wear clothing covering her body. She also said she had faced repeated checks and questioning while travelling through the country.
In one of her earlier accounts, Arunima said she had decided to wear a purdah during much of her journey in an attempt to make travelling through Afghanistan easier. She also described restrictions faced by women in the country and said the experience had made her feel deeply uncomfortable about the lack of freedom available to women.
The latest incident has once again highlighted the difficulties faced by women travelling alone in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. While Arunima initially described the episode as an arrest by the “Mujahideen”, her subsequent account described it as a threat of arrest and an intervention by a local contact that enabled her to leave. Independent confirmation of the exact circumstances remains unavailable.