News Analysis India

Tag: Afghanistan

  • Yashwant Sinha, other eminent persons urge Centre to not let parties use Afghan crisis to polarise society

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the situation in Afghanistan, a group of eminent persons, including former ministers K Natwar Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Mani Shankar Aiyar, on Wednesday urged the government to continue engaging with the Taliban and not allow any political party to use the developments in that country to communally polarise Indian society for electoral gains.

    In a statement, the group, under the banner ‘Indian friends of Afghanistan’, said as the Afghans seek to embark on a path of peace, national reconciliation and national reconstruction, Indians stand in solidarity with them.

    The group said the people of India stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Afghanistan in these difficult times and asserted that the proud, patriotic and brave people of Afghanistan have defeated every invading army and continue to fight forces of extremism and terrorism.

    The statement has been issued collectively by former external affairs ministers Singh and Sinha, as well as former diplomat and Congress leader Aiyar, retired IPS officer Julio Rebeiro, former IAS officer and an ex-vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Najeeb Jung, Afghan expert Vedpratap Vaidik, senior journalist Saeed Naqvi, former diplomat K C Singh, social activist Sandeep Pandey, former Rajya Sabha member Majeed Memon and Forum for a New South Asia founder Sudheendra Kulkarni.

    ALSO READ | Qatar urges Taliban to ensure ‘safe passage’ out of Afghanistan for those wanting to leave

    The group has appealed to the Indian government that India should continue to engage with the Taliban.

    “We welcome the government’s first official acknowledgement of its engagement with the Taliban in Doha and the positive assurances given by the latter,” it said.

    There should be no discrimination on grounds of religion in providing shelter to Afghans who have been forced to leave their country, the signatories to the statement said.

    They called for India to permit temporary stay to Afghan journalists, artists and civil society leaders who are feeling threatened by the conditions in their country.

    “No political party should be allowed to use the developments in Afghanistan to communally polarise Indian society for electoral gains and any such attempts should be dealt with sternly,” the group said in its appeal to the government.

    The group asserted that freedom is an inalienable right of every nation — small or big, poor or rich, and sovereignty of every nation is inviolable, and forms the key principle of international law and the basis of global stability.

    “We welcome the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

    However, the unplanned manner of its execution created conditions of avoidable chaos.

    The chaotic circumstances emboldened certain terrorist groups to kill innocent Afghans and foreigners,” the group said.

    “We strongly condemn the barbaric suicide attacks in Kabul on August 26, in which scores of Afghans and over a dozen American soldiers lost their lives,” it said.

    As friends of Afghanistan, “we are deeply concerned” over the current situation in that country, the signatories said.

    All the countries in South Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, should strive to make it a region of peace, harmony and collective progress, the statement said.

    In its statement, the group also appealed to the Taliban and other political forces in Afghanistan that the country needs an inclusive government that facilitates national reconciliation after four long decades of wars and violence.

    “Therefore, we appeal to the Taliban (which are in near-total control of the country) and other political forces to begin an intra-Afghan peace process leading to a democratic governing establishment,” the group said.

    It said such an establishment should ensure that no terrorist organisation has a sanctuary in Afghanistan and that its territory is not used for terrorist and extremist activities targeting any country in the world, near or far.

    The establishment in Afghanistan should guarantee the safety and security of every Afghan citizen regardless of their ethnicity, ideology or past political background, as well as guarantee the safety, dignity and rights of women, the group said.

    The signatories urged the new establishment that would be formed to protect Hindus, Sikhs and other non-Muslim minorities, and facilitate the dignified return of those who were forced to leave their country.

    Such an establishment should also safeguard and continue the developmental projects undertaken by India in Afghanistan, the group said.

    It also appealed to the international community that no country in the region should be excluded from, nor isolate itself from, collaborative efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan and promote national reconciliation and national reconstruction.

    This requires India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and other countries to evolve and implement a common strategy, in cooperation with the United Nations, the US, the EU and other members of the international community, the group said.

    The signatories said that providing humanitarian aid and assistance to Afghanistan is an immediate and common responsibility of the international community.

    “All members of the international community should together shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding Afghanistan’s war-damaged economy and creating livelihoods for its people,” they said.

    “Multilateral regional forums such as SCO (in which both India and Pakistan are members) and SAARC (of which Afghanistan is also a member) should actively work for peace in Afghanistan and stability in South Asia and Central Asia,” the statement said.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • High-level group, including EAM Jaishankar monitoring developments in Afghanistan: Sources

    Official sources said on Tuesday that the group has been meeting regularly over the last few days following a direction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

  • Afghan situation raises new security questions: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The current happenings in Afghanistan have raised new security questions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, asserting the Central government is alert and capable of dealing with any situation.

    He also said that no anti-national force should be allowed to encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the developments in Afghanistan. He was addressing the third Balramji Dass Tandon memorial lecture organised by Panjab University on the issue of national security.

    “What is happening in neighbouring Afghanistan is raising new questions in terms of security and our government is keeping a watch on the developments there,” said Singh in his address delivered through video conferencing.

    Along with the security of Indians, Singh said, “Our government also wants that anti-national forces do not encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the development there. We have some more concerns which can become challenges from the point of view of national security.”

    Singh said the Modi-led government at the Centre is alert and capable of dealing with any situation. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a vexatious two-decade war.

  • India monitoring activities of Anas and Khalil al-Rehman Haqqani network

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Indian security agencies have ramped up human and technical intelligence further after the Kabul airport bombings which are believed to have been carried out by ISIS-K. According to sources, Thursday’s blasts have further strengthened fears that Afghanistan is becoming a safe haven for anti-India terror groups. “We have employed resources to track movements of terror groups, which may find new life after Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. We are keeping a close eye on all movement,” said a source.

    India is monitoring the movements of Anas and Khalil al-Rehman Haqqani, who is a designated terrorist and a vital part of the Haqqani network. He has been appointed chief of the country’s security. The Haqqani network is of particular interest to Indian security agencies, as it is believed to be an extension of ISI and which played a vital role in the resurgence of Taliban. They have close ties with Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

    A report tabled by US Treasury department squarely blamed the terror attack on Sikhs in Kabul in 2020 on the Pakistan-based Haqqani network. The same report also expressed apprehensions of the network allying with al-Qaida to form a new joint unit.

    India’s fears have reflected apprehensions of other countries and agencies. In June, a UN report noted that “the Haqqani Network remains the Taliban’s most combat-ready forces” adding that it “has a skilled core of members”.

  • Most Indians who wanted to leave Afghanistan have returned, informs Centre

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  India on Friday said that it is unaware of the exact number of citizens still stranded in Afghanistan, but most of those who wanted to return have been evacuated from the war-torn country.

    “The numbers keep changing. Our overall assessment is that the vast majority of Indians who wish to return have been evacuated. Some more are likely to be in Afghanistan. I don’t have the exact number for that,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He added that New Delhi is carefully monitoring the evolving situation.

    Elaborating on the evacuation efforts, Bagchi said India has so far evacuated over 550 people in six flights directly from Kabul or via Dushanbe since the Taliban took over the reins in Afghanistan. Of the total number of evacuees, around 260 are Indians, while the rest are Afghans and nationals of other countries.Saying that India was in touch with various countries like the US, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson added that Uzbekistan and Iran’s air space was opened up for India for evacuation sorties. “Of the evacuees, many of them were Sikhs and Hindus. Primarily, our focus will be on Indian nationals, but we will also stand by Afghans who have stood by us,” he added.

    On the Afghan evacuees, Bagchi said they have not been granted refugee status but given e-visa for a tenure of six months. “The situation is evolving. We will take a call depending upon the situation after six months regarding the status of the visa,” the MEA spokesperson mentioned. He added that discussions are on with regard to the fate of the visas of those Afghans who were already in India before the evacuation process began.

  • Situation is evolving in Afghanistan; focus on evacuation of citizens, says India amidst rising tension

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Friday said a vast majority of its citizens who wished to return home from Afghanistan have been evacuated and it is carefully monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country.

    Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India’s focus has been to evacuate its citizens who are stranded in Afghanistan.

    “We continue to monitor the situation very carefully. It is an evolving situation,” he said at a media briefing.

    ALSO READ: At least 95 Afghans killed in Kabul airport bombings, say officials

    Asked whether India will recognise a Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan, Bagchi said there is currently a lack of clarity or no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul.

    “The situation on the ground is uncertain. The prime concern is the security and safety of the people. Currently, there is a lack of clarity or no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul,” he said.

    Bagchi said India is in touch with various parties regarding operating evacuation flights from Afghanistan.

  • Sikhs perform thanksgiving prayer after safe return with ‘Swaroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: It was an emotional moment not only for the Sikh community but for the entire country when the “Swaroops” of Shri Guru Granth Sahib were brought to Delhi safely from Afghanistan after its complete takeover by the Taliban.

    Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, carried on his head the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib on its arrival at T-3 Terminal in Delhi on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. It was a testimony of India’s rich culture and tradition.

    For all good things that happen, there is a tradition in our country to thank God and the people behind it. In line with this rich tradition, Sukran Ki Ardaas (a thanksgiving prayer) was organised by the members of the Sikh community at Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara near Tilak Nagar in Delhi.

    #FlyAI : Air India is blessed to have this opportunity to fly three Holy saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji from Dushanbe (from Kabul) to Delhi, which was received at the T3 by the Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. @PMOIndia @HardeepSPuri @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/R9vc2QPqqp
    — Air India (@airindiain) August 25, 2021
    Pratap Singh, a member of the Sikh comminity said, “We urge the Government of India to prioritise the return of the remaining people of the Sikh community who are still stuck in Afghanistan so that they can celebrate Gurupurab in India and participate in yatras organised on the occasion.”

    Special thanksgiving prayers were also performed by the Sikh Community on Thursday in the main Gurudwara in Shimla, E-4 Gurudwara in Bhopal, Gurudwara Baba Naam Dev in Kanpur, Digyana Gurudwara in Jammu, Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara at Rani Bazar Shariefpur in Amritsar and Gurudwara Har Gobind Singh in new Guru Nanak Pura area of Jalandhar.

    After the prayers, the Sikh Community leaders had also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring the safe arrival of the Swaroops and urged the central government to do its best to bring to safety the remaining Sikh families stuck in Kabul.

    “The entire Sikh community thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for the safe return of Sikh and Hindu families. Today, a ‘Sukran ki Ardaas’ was held at Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony, Bhopal to pray for the safe return of the remaining Sikh and Hindu families who are still in Afghanistan,” said a member of Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony, Bhopal.

    Gurpreet Singh, another Gurudwara member had said, “Sukran ki Ardaas was held at Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony after ‘Swaroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib were flown back from Afghanistan. I thank the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for the safe return of Sikh and Hindu families from Afghanistan. We pray to God for the safe return of the remaining Sikh and Hindu families in Afghanistan.”

    The three copies of the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib arrived from Kabul along with 75 evacuees from Afghanistan on an Indian Air Force plane on Tuesday.

    Hardeep Singh Puri, in a tweet on Tuesday, said, “Blessed to receive and pay obeisance to three holy Swaroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Kabul to Delhi a short while ago.”

  • Some evacuees from Afghanistan have tested positive for COVID-19: Government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Some of those evacuated from Afghanistan have tested positive for COVID-19 and they have been isolated and are being treated, the government said on Thursday.

    Responding to a question at a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “Whoever lands (in India) they are given anti-polio vaccine because wild polio is still prevalent in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We have also made arrangement that all of their RT-PCR tests are done and some of them have tested positive.”

    He said over 400 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan so far.

    Bhushan said those who tested positive for the coronavirus have been isolated and are being treated.

    He said, “Several people have been sent to ITBP camp in Chawala (Delhi) where they are quarantined and they will stay there for 14 days and from there it will be decided where they have to be sent.”

    India on Thursday evacuated 24 of its citizens and 11 Nepalese nationals in a military aircraft from Kabul in the backdrop of further deterioration in the security situation in the Afghan capital.

    It has earlier evacuated its embassy personnel, other Indian nationals and some Afghan nationals, including Hindus and Sikhs.

    The Taliban swept across Afghanistan this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities including Kabul in the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US forces.

  • Children of Afghan refugees in India see ‘dark future’ after Taliban takeover

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: When Afghan refugees in India held a protest in Delhi on August 23, sisters Dia and Diyana were at its forefront, one wrapped in the Afghan national flag while the other held up a placard, appealing to the United Nations to help the people of the war-torn nation.

    Dia (10) and Diyana (12), residents of an Afghan enclave in south Delhi, should be learning and playing, but at this tender age, the sisters braved it out in a hot weather, expressing their concern about the children, particularly girls, in Afghanistan since its takeover by the Taliban.

    “We are scared. We know what the Taliban are, even though we were not born when they first took over our homeland. And, we know how insecure the children and women are feeling in our homeland right now,” said the elder sister.

    Along with their parents, the sisters had gone to take part in the protest held in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

    The protest which started on Monday, have since been relayed, and the refugees are refusing to relent from their position until their demands are met, which includes issuing of support letters from the UN agency to allow migration to other countries and better opportunities in India.

    On August 23, when the protest began, a large number of Afghan refugees had gathered there, drawn from Delhi and neighbouring cities.

    Among them were scores of children, as young as a two-year-old Nihanz who came with her family members from Bhogal and took part in the demonstration riding her mother’s shoulders.

    Women power was evident at the protest, and participation by young girls, brought the focus on their plight, their vulnerability to the current circumstances and their sheer hopelessness of living a pitiable refugee life, even as Afghanistan descended further down the spiral of uncertainty.

    Holding a poster, Zuleikha Khadarkhil, 10, sat quietly next to her eight-year-old brother Mohammed Rameen, who raised vociferous slogans against the Taliban, when most children of his age are playing with toys and not taking part in a protest that may have global ramifications.

    While Zuleikha was silent, the image on the poster she held screamed about the plight of girls and their bleak future.

    There were no words on the moving artwork, just a sketch of a young girl depicted in a traditional Afghani costume, almost matching what the young protester had worn, with sadness in her eyes and one arm outstretched, reaching out for a book, signifying the curbs that the Taliban imposes on freedom and education of girls and women.

    “As refugees we feel insecure, as children we feel insecure, as girls we feel insecure, more so now after what has happened in our Afghanistan. I have a terrible feeling about the young girls and women of Afghanistan. How will they be treated now,” she lamented.

    Rameen and Zuleikha had come to the protest with their parents from Tilak Nagar, where a small community of Afghans reside.

    The protest has been led by Afghan Solidarity Committee (ASC), an umbrella organisation of Afghan refugees in India.

    The crowd shouted slogans like ‘we want future’, ‘we want justice’, ‘no more silence’ and clapped and cheered each other, as many others held banners bearing messages like ‘UN Geneva help Afghan Refugees’ and ‘Issue resident visas to all Afghan refugees’.

    The Taliban swept across the country this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1.

    On August 15, the capital city Kabul also fell to the Taliban, even as a large number of Afghans attempted in vain to flee the war-torn nation.

    The insurgent forces have now sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they had imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s.

    But many Afghans remain sceptical of this and fear the return of the “regressive” regime.

    The hopelessness and dejection among the children about their future was unmistakable, with Tamanna, 10, who had come from Noida, echoing Zuleikha’s sentiments.

    “With the current situation, the future seems all dark for us, stuck between a poor refugee life with almost no education or job opportunities, and the horror of the Taliban back home,” she rued.

  • Government committed to full evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan: Jaishankar

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The government is committed to “full evacuation” of Indians from Afghanistan, where the situation is “critical”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday after briefing the leaders during the all-party meet on the Afghan situation.

    Asked about the government’s approach towards Taliban, he told reporters that the situation in Afghanistan has not settled down.

    “You will have to keep patience: Let the situation settle down.”

    Besides Jaishankar, Union minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi were also present during the briefing on the latest situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power there last week.

    As per the evacuation data shared among the participants at the meet, the government has evacuated –175 Embassy Personnel, 263 other Indian Nationals, 112 Afghan Nationals including Hindus and Sikhs, 15 third country nationals and the total figure stood at 565.

    The document also said the government also facilitated evacuation of Indians by other agencies.

    NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, DMK’s T R Baalu, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel are among those attending the meet.

    Jaishankar said,”on this (Afghanistan) matter all political parties have similar views, we approached the issue with spirit of national unity.”