One recent afternoon on a busy street in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar neighborhood — known as “Little Kabul” for its sizable Afghan population — Abdul Kahar was busily wrapping burgers at his food stall while customers scrambled to get in line for a taste of his authentic Afghan offerings.
Kahar, 38, an Afghan refugee, runs this small Afghan burger stall near businesses ranging from restaurants and pharmacies to supermarkets owned by people from the war-torn country. Compared to the rest of the sprawling Indian capital, Little Kabul has a distinct feel, with Afghan people speaking Pashto and wearing traditional Pathani shalwar-kameez mingling with Indians, who come from all over the city for its renowned restaurants.
But a pall was cast over the bustling area following the Taliban’s lightning-fast takeover of the Afghanistan government last month, as many Afghans living here face an uncertain future in their adopted country while also harboring feelings of guilt and anguish for loved ones they left behind.
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