Afghanistan to Alton: A refugee’s story of seeking asylum in the UK

In 1998, Mr Singh was kidnapped, tortured and ransomed for being a Sikh in Afghanistan. More than 20 years later, he’s found peace in a north Hampshire market town. He tells Mark Drummon his story

Singh now runs a budget shop in Alton (Dmitry Naumov/Shutterstock )

Mr Singh sleeps fitfully in a small room with no windows somewhere in Kabul or the surrounding countryside. The moment he awakes, a fearful question pops into his head. It is a thought that haunts him constantly during the month he is held captive. “All days, in my mind: now my killing?” he says. “In Afghanistan, death is not important; bullet is important.”

More than two decades later, Mr Singh’s life no longer involves kidnap, torture and ransom. Gone is the fear of being imminently murdered. In fact his routine in 2021 is blissfully mundane – pandemic excepted. Most days he can be found behind the counter of the discount store he runs in Alton, a sleepy market town in north Hampshire.

Mr Singh came to this country seeking asylum. He’s gone on to make a good life here. Talking to him has reminded me of something that I frequently lose sight of: that on the whole to be born in the UK, or in any liberal democracy, is to win the lottery of life. I take for granted the freedoms and protections we enjoy. The man behind the counter at the budget shop in Alton does not. Like many other refugees, he has endured hardship and faced danger in his country of origin. And like many other refugees, he has a story to tell. This is it.