Shahzada Khan said he had a long chat with the members of the team, especially about the state of affairs back in Afghanistan. Pic/News18
Shahzada Khan greeted the Afghan cricketers at their warmup match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati with traditional Assamese Fulam Gamosas
Dressed in a white Pathani kurta and pyjama, the clean-shaven Shahzada Khan seemed elated while standing in the queue with the ticket gifted by the players of the Afghanistan cricket team to their World Cup warmup match with Sri Lanka at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on October 3.
It was after five years since he visited Afghanistan that Shahzada got the opportunity to meet people from his native land in Guwahati. He greeted the Afghan players with Assamese Fulam Gamosas (traditional towels) and had a long chat with the members of the team, especially about the state of affairs back in Afghanistan.
“The players said that as far as cricket is concerned, they are in a comfortable state and they are far from the political atmosphere of the country,” said Shahzada Khan. “I was in class three when one day while I went to my Maqtab, I saw my school was burning. There were no schools and if I stayed there, I had to join the Taliban. I came down to India, in Silchar, Assam, and from there I travelled to many parts of India in search of a job and a place to stay. Then in 1986, finally I settled in Mirza on the outskirts of Guwahati.”
It was in 2018 that Shahzada Khan was given a ticket to fly back to Afghanistan, almost 37 years after he decided to make Assam his home and raise a family. Shahzada who now can speak fluent Assamese is also comfortable with Hindi and English, the languages that he learnt in Assam.
“I spoke in Pashto with the team players. I asked Mohammed Nabi if this was his maiden visit to Guwahati and his feelings here. In response, they told me that they were very happy to come to India, it’s like their brother’s home. They only have concerns about the rain,” added Khan.
Initially, into the traditional business of moneylending, Khan “Kabuliwala” as he is known to his people, married a local, Jahnara Begum, and settled in Mirza with his two children. On February 4, 2017, he was lodged in the detention camp at Goalpara by a Foreigners’ Tribunal after his name was mentioned in the D-voters (doubtful voters) list.
“I languished for 15 months in jail in the name of detention. I have no address and permanent residence in Afghanistan and this was a hitch with the Afghan embassy. I almost had a heart attack on the aeroplane while I left India from the detention camp. I had only Rs 250 with me. I needed the money. I had to come back, my family was here. A few villagers helped me with finances to get my passport done. If you shell out money, you can get your passport done in two days,” said Khan.
So who is he backing for the World Cup? “I’m first a supporter of the Indian team and then the Afghan team. However, I am an admirer of the best performer,” said Shahzada Khan.