Thousands of Afghans scramble for chance to work in Qatar

When Mohammad Hanif heard Qatar was opening jobs to Afghans, he joined thousands of others to put his name down for a shot to make a living in the gas-rich emirate, his own country wracked by unemployment.

The Taliban authorities announced a deal with Gulf state this month to recruit 3,100 workers from Afghanistan, who started applying on Tuesday at centres across the country.

By Wednesday, more than 8,500 people had put their names down from the capital Kabul and surrounding provinces, labour…