Monday, 23 August 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
With the latest evacuation, the number of people flown in from Kabul since last Monday reached 590
Stepping up efforts to bring its citizens back home, India on Sunday airlifted 392 people, besides some Afghan politicians, from Kabul to New Delhi. They were evacuated in three different flights of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Air India. Some more flights are planned in the days to come to safely bring back stranded Indian citizens from Afghanistan.
A team of Indian officials is now based in Kabul to assist those Indians who want to return home. However, the operations will depend on those willing to return being able to reach the airport. The Taliban has set up checkpoints at various places in the Afghan capital and roads leading to it from other provinces, sources said here on Sunday.
Giving details of the operation to fly back the lucky ones to New Delhi and Hindon near the national Capital on Sunday, officials said the rescued people included two Afghan Members of Parliament. With the latest evacuation, the number of people flown in by India from Kabul since last Monday reached 590.
A total of 168 people, including 107 Indians and 23 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, were flown from Kabul to Hindon airbase near Delhi in a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the IAF on Sunday.
Another group of 87 Indians and two Nepalese nationals were brought back in a special Air India flight from Dushanbe, a day after they were evacuated to the Tajikistan capital in an IAF C-130J transport aircraft, officials said.
Separately, 135 Indians, who were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Doha in the last few days by the US and NATO aircraft were flown back from the Qatari capital city to Delhi on a special flight, they said.
The group of 168 people, who were evacuated from Kabul, included Afghan lawmakers Anarkali Honaryar and Narender Singh Khalsa and their families, sources said.
“India is our second home. Even if we are Afghans and live in that country, people often call us Hindustanis. I thank India for extending its helping hand,” Khalsa told reporters at the Hindon airbase near Delhi.
“I am feeling like crying. Everything is finished. It is a very difficult and painful decision to leave the country. We have not seen such a situation. Everything has been snatched away. It’s all over,” a visibly despondent Khalsa said when asked about the situation in Afghanistan.
Thanking India for undertaking these missions, Afghanistan Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay said, “I appreciate the kind words of sympathy and support messages from all Indian friends and the diplomatic missions in New Delhi over the suffering of Afghans in the past few weeks, particularly the last seven-eight days.
“The avoidable suffering of Afghanistan is man-made and at a scale beyond all civilised contemplation. Afghanistan is going through a difficult time, and only good leadership, compassionate attitude and international support to the Afghan people would somewhat bring an end to these miseries,” he tweeted.
India carried out the evacuation missions in coordination with the US and several other friendly countries. A group of Indian officials is coordinating the evacuation mission at the Kabul airport and another batch of Indians is expected to be brought back from the Afghan capital on Monday. Sources said Afghan nationals with Indian visas are facing increasing scrutiny from the Taliban.
The small group of Indian officials in Kabul is coordinating the country’s evacuation missions amid continuing chaos and a challenging ground situation, sources said.
The multi-agency group is coordinating with the American officials handling security at the airport as well as other relevant authorities, they said. The US armed forces are controlling the Kabul international airport.
“Evacuation continues! IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers on board, including 107 Indian nationals is on its way to Delhi from Kabul,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted hours before the plane landed at Hindon.
It is learnt that the Indians evacuated to Doha from Kabul were employees of a number of foreign companies that were operating in Afghanistan.
“Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan! AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. “Assisted and supported by our Embassy @IndEmbDushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow,” Bagchi tweeted at around 1:20 AM.
Two days after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, India evacuated 200 people including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF.
The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian Embassy, on Monday last. The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.
Following the evacuation, the External Affairs Ministry said the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital.
The Ministry said the immediate priority for the Government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan.
It also requested the Indians as well as their employers to urgently share the relevant details with the special Afghanistan cell that was set up on August 16.
Sources said the cell received more than 2,000 phone calls and answered over 6,000 WhatsApp queries during the first five days of its operation. The cell answered more than 1200 e-mails during the period.
