24-year-old trader Parvez Ali Aman from Tehran wants peace to prevail amid the ongoing conflict across the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Traders like Pervez, who tour different parts of India to build business relationships, are still worried about their families staying there.
Parvez Ali Aman is Iranian on his father’s side and Afghan on his mother’s side. Military strikes and bombings in the war in Iran have left a mark on his family, his siblings who reside in Tehran, and his mother’s family in Afghanistan.
Parvez has resided in India since 2013, where he completed his education at a government-run school in New Delhi. He came to Tripura, being part of a group of merchants from Central Asia and Iran, to participate in fairs during the winter months.
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He attended fairs at Pragati Maidan in Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Pune before coming to Agartala, selling dry fruits, cardamom and saffron besides silver jewellery.
“My father is from Iran and my mother is from Afghanistan. I can speak Hindi, Punjabi and English besides Dari, Pashto and Persian,” Parvez said while working at his stall at the Ocean World Carnival in Agartala.
When asked about the ongoing conflict, he said the situation remains precarious in Tehran.
He said: “We are trying to get our families out of Iran, if possible. We do not want any conflict. We want peace. We want the United States and Israel to stop this war.”
His concerns are not limited only to Iran, but also to Afghanistan, where his relatives on his mother’s side reside.
Reports on the Pakistan-Afghan conflict also added to his ongoing concerns.
He said: “We also want peace to prevail everywhere: Afghanistan and Iraq. There is a lot of violence going on. The United Nations must intervene in this situation.”
He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
Praising India, he said: “I want to stay in India. India is very good for trade. India is safe and Indian people are good.”
Zakirollah Karimi, another merchant from Tehran, at the booth, echoed similar sentiments.
Zakir has been touring the similar exhibition circuit since November last year with Pragati Maidan (now Bharat Mandapam) followed by Lucknow, Pune, Punjab and Kolkata before Agartala.
Zakir’s entire family including his mother and siblings reside in Tehran.
Zakir said: “All my family members are still in Tehran. The situation there is not good. They are safe so far. We want the war to stop.”
The United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on February 28, targeting Iranian missile infrastructure, military sites, and leadership in the capital, Tehran, and throughout the country.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has led the country since 1989, was killed during the first wave of strikes.
