Kerala vlogger says she is safe after arrest threat in Afghanistan's Bamyan

A Kerala woman travel vlogger who said she was threatened with arrest in Afghanistan's Bamyan province has posted that she is safe, in the latest update from a trip that has drawn attention to restrictions on women travelling alone in the country.

The vlogger, who goes by the handle 'Backpacker Arunima', said the local authorities in Bamyan accused her of violating a law under which a woman cannot travel without a male companion or guide. She said she had earlier been refused a permit in Jalalabad for the same reason — that she was travelling alone.

In her account of the Bamyan episode, she said she reached the area around 7 pm after hitchhiking on a truck and was questioned about her passport, visa and permit as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle. She wrote that people approached her because, under local rules, a woman would not ordinarily be out alone after dark.

According to her, officials told her she had broken the law and would be arrested, leaving her badly frightened. She said she contacted an English-speaking local man who had helped her reach Bamyan, and that he spoke to the authorities on her behalf.

She said the authorities demanded a fine of 10,000 Afghanis, a permit and travel with an official guide, and that she was eventually allowed to continue towards the next country after discussions. Describing the situation, she said her only 'crime' was travelling alone as a woman in a country where women are not permitted to do so.

She added that she planned to cover roughly 500 kilometres towards the Uzbekistan border and expected to pass through several checkpoints. Fearing for her safety, she said she posted an Instagram story in the hope that someone would come to her aid.

In an earlier post, she had sought help in contacting the Indian embassy, saying she was in trouble in Afghanistan. That post also carried what she described as a translation of an official communication stating that she had been arrested by the "Mujahideen". The post did not give further details of the alleged arrest or identify who had detained her, and the claim could not be independently verified. There was no immediate response from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The vlogger has been travelling across Afghanistan and has posted a series of videos on her social media pages. In her most recent update from the country, she wrote that she was safe now, without elaborating.