Name: Mushtary Qurbani

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced Nak Muay and football player.

Risk: At risk of being tortured and killed by the Taliban if returned home.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Needed: A group of five friends to support him.

Mushtary was a child when his family fled to Pakistan to save their life from the Taliban’s threat. Unfortunately, about 10 years later, his brother returned to Afghanistan but he got killed by the Taliban. Pakistan was also not a safe option for Mushtary to live in, so his mother sent him to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

While living in a state of limbo, he has been practicing Muay Thai and football. His dream is to pursue his education and contribute to society. He now hopes to find a group of five Canadian friends who can bring him to Canada where he can start his life again.

His Story

Mushtary Qurbani was born on May 7, 1998 in Surkhi Parsa district in Parwan province in Afghanistan. He was only 1 year old when his father was killed by the Taliban. Afterward, his mother started farming on their land to support the family.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres due to their culture, religion, and love for education. There was a man named Malik Ghafoor who had power and used to take possession of people’s lands in the village. On September 14, 2013, Malik Ghafoor came to Mushary’s home and threatened his mother to stop farming on her land, or else he would kill her. Since his mother did not have any other way to support the family, she asked the elders of the village for help but they told her that Malik Ghafoor had a connection with the Taliban and he had overtaken many lands and had killed their owners before.

Fled from the Country

Mushtary’s mother contacted his uncle who was living in Kabul and shared everything with him. His uncle then came to the village and suggested Mushtary’s family to escape from the village because their life was in danger. On September 18, 2003, they fled to Kabul which was not safe for the Hazaras, so they moved to Attock city in the Punjab province of Pakistan on September 20, 2003.

After a month, on October 20, 2003, Mushtary’s mother received a phone call from one of their known who told her that Mushtary’s uncle had been to the village where Malik Ghafoor and the Taliban’s members killed him.

Life in Pakistan

Due to living without legal documents in Pakistan, Mushtary and his family always faced humiliation and harassment from the local police there. Since they did not have any future living in Pakistan, they decided to send Mushtary’s elder brother back to the village to see if they were safe after a decade. In 2014, his brother returned to their village, and unfortunately, Malik Ghafoor and the Taliban came to know about him.

“An old neighbor of us contacted my mother and told her that my brother had been killed. Also, he told her that Malik Ghafoor had come to know about our location in Pakistan and we were not safe there too.”

His Journey to Indonesia

Knowing that they were in danger, his mother decided to send his only son to a safe place. After his mother arranged for a people smuggler, Mushtary went to Kabul on June 13, 2014 and stayed there for 2 days. Then he flew to New Delhi, India on June 15. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat on July 22, 2014.

Life in the Detention Centre

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR on July 23, 2014. With no right to work or way to support himself, he went to Makassar Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. On November 6, 2014, he was transferred to a detention centre that was overcrowded and badly ventilated, and refugees did not have access to proper food, enough water or a decent place to sleep. On November 24, 2015, he got his refugee recognition from the UNHCR.

“I was very happy at that time. I believed I would be resettled to a safe country by the UNHCR soon, but it did not happen.”

His Life Now

After about a year in the detention centre, he received his freedom and was transferred to a shelter that was for refugees under the age of 18. On May 9, 2016, he was transferred to a community house in Makassar, and since then, he has been living there.

Mushtary has been busy practicing Muay Thai and playing football. As a refugee, he cannot get proper education, work, drive and even open a bank account. The only way for him to start his life again is to resettle in a safe country like Canada.

As a UNHCR refugee, Mushtary is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

To help support him as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to him directly on Facebook.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good person to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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