In the case of Qutbiallam Timor, Ahsanullah Sherzadand, and Mohammad Nazir Mangal, that distance is 700 kilometres.
The three Afghans are walking from Dandenong to Canberra to hopefully bring about change for people who worked alongside the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan, a group known as Locally Engaged Employees (LEE).
After six days of walking, the three men arrived in Benalla, and Mr Timor, President of the Afghan LEE Alliance, was thankful to be welcomed in the Rose City.
“We are glad to be here and we appreciate the support of the community here in Benalla,” said Mr Timor.
“We are walking for the safety of the Afghan LEE who supported the Australian Defence Force on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
“In 2021, the government in Afghanistan collapsed and the Taliban has taken over, so because of this crisis, the LEE are suffering mentally and financially, worried for the safety of their extended families.
“We have three demands of the Australian Government to meet their moral obligations.
“One is that they have to prioritise the Afghan LEE’s extended families’ visa applications from the humanitarian visas.
“The second one is to allocate 5000 humanitarian visa places for the LEE’s extended families.
“The third ask is for the Australian Government to stop refusing humanitarian visas of applicants who are still trapped in Afghanistan in difficult situations.
“The Australian Government encouraged the Afghan community, after the collapse of Kabul, to spread the message to get loved ones to apply for visas if they are at risk.
“After two years, 6000 visa applications have been refused, which is a big concern for Afghans, so this is the time for the Australian government to stand with the Afghan community.”
The three Afghan men have a small support team behind them who drive a motorhome where they sleep each night and also set the target for the walkers each day.
The men plan to arrive in Canberra on August 7 and to achieve this target they have to walk around 35 km to 40 km a day.
While the walk has taken a physical toll on the men in the first three days, as they encountered blisters and pains, Mr Timor and his compatriots have a lot to fight for and have a call to action for the people of Benalla.
“Our message to the community is to stand with us. To stand with the Afghans who supported the Australian mission in Afghanistan,” Mr Timor said.
“To stand with those who supported Australia’s national and international interests in Afghanistan by calling and emailing their MPs and telling them about our long walk, and ask them to consider actioning and implementing our three demands.”
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