KABUL (Pajhwok): The parents of one of the Kaj Academy student whose psychological condition got worsen after horrific attack on the academy appealed for assistance for the long-term treatment of their son. On September 30, 2022, the Kaj Educational Academy situated in the Dasht-i-Barchi locality of Kabul came under attack when a large number of girls and boys were performing Kankor examination demo in a big classroom. The attacker first opened fire at students and then blew himself up inside the classroom. Security forces than said that 25 people were killed and 31 others injured but the UNAMA report said 53 people were killed and 110 others injured in the attack. Pajhwok Afghan News reporter on September 17 visited the Aliabad Hospital in Kabul where the reporter met Ali Sina, 20, one of the victims of the Kaj Academy attack. Ali Sina Dawlatzada, the resident of Surkhabad, Dasht-i-Barchi, enrolled in the Kaj Academy for Kankor preparation. He dreamed for his bright future after completing high school at the Sayed Ismael Balkh High School. Hussain Ali, the father of Ali Sina recalling the horrific story said: “I lost conscious when I heard there that a blast occurred in the academy, I went there and started search when I found him he was hiding under a table among bodies and injured.” He said he son suffered superficial injuries in the incident but he was crying and said: “My friends martyred, got bullets and my teachers are no more here.” He had recovered from his injures but he is still psychologically unwell. His friends bodies that he saw, the injure and bloodbath that happened could not be eradicated from his mind. Hussain Ali said his son’s health had improved and he had appeared in the Kankor examination. He was able to pass the Kankor test and became eligible to study engineering at Mazar-i-Sharif University, but three days after his university began he was unable to continue. “From his school time my son was very intelligent, he memorized the holy Quran and studied at Muslim, Mawoud and Kaj educational academies,” he said. His family had failed to look after him and now he was brought to Aliabad Hospital for treatment. Alisina ran here and there in the Aliabad hospital mansion, punched and kicked the cars parked in the courtyard of the mansion, practiced math questions with himself, and sometimes repeated the website address of media such as BBC and Azadi with himself. Ali Sina’s father is not educated and currently work at a bakery to support his 9-member family. Due to economic problems they were unable to keep Ali Sina at home and according to the doctors’ directions they hospitalized Ali Sina at the Kabul Maraston where severe mental patients are looked after. I took him to the hospital in Aliabad, they gave me a letter to take him to the Maraston, when I went to the Maraston, they told me that we could not look after him, he should be in front of his family, he should have interaction with people in the community, if we look at him in the Maraston his situation could be deteriorated. Ali Hussain, his wife and their four daughters live in a single room house of his brother. He said they raised Ali Sina with love and care, he was a curious child and always wanted things that he did not have. He added: “My son had some problems at first, but he was very cute, we used to say that he was being cute, but after the explosion in Kaj Academy, our child’s mental state deteriorated, he became unwell started screaming, crying, hitting everyone and even beating others.” When asked why he handed over Ali Sina to Marston, he said: “After the blast his condition are not good, he attacked me several times, nobody is safe from his hand not we neither the neighbors, he hits people with stones, break windowpanes, we have to be alert from dawn to dusk and look after him.” He said not only others but he harms himself as well, he bite himself and tear his clothes. “I accepted death for the sake of my child and requested him several times to be conscious, he relaxes for sometimes but alter again start doing harmful things,” he said. Ali Hussain said that doctors had advised that his son needed long term treatment but he did not have the ability to afford this because by working in the bakery he could just afford his daily expenses. He asked the acting government and welfare organization to support his son’s treatment. Shukria, the mother of Ali Sina, asked government and welfare organisations to provide support for the treatment of her son. “My husband work, how much should he earn to pay for Ali Sina’s treatment, our dream was Ali Sina that he will become something in the future and support his father.” Psychological experts said that mental illnesses are treatable but if not seriously taken into account they could be threatening. They said patients like Ali Sina should be taken to the doctors for treatment.
Parents of psychologically unwell Ali Sina’s seek help
