Tag: Harsh Vardhan Shringla

  • Australia will continue to be part of Malabar naval exercise: India

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Australia will continue to be part of the Malabar naval exercise, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday, in a clear indication that all the Quad member nations will participate in it.

    Australia was part of the mega naval exercise in 2020 and 2021. “As you know Australia has been inducted into the Malabar framework. They have participated in Malabar exercises in 2020 and 2021. And they will continue to be part of the Malabar, let’s say, group of countries that participate in these exercises,” he said.

    “I think we will certainly look forward to the participation of all concerned,” Shringla added. The foreign secretary was addressing a media briefing following a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

    The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of the exercise in 2015.

    Australia’s participation in the exercise in the last two editions make it a drill involving all the four Quad countries — India, the US, Australia and Japan.

  • ‘Will be based on our interests’: Shringla on India’s position on Ukraine crisis as New Delhi sends first tranche of humanitarian aid

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With a number of resolutions coming up at the United Nations on the crisis in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday said India will consider those in their “entirety” and on the basis of national interests.

    While at least two resolutions on the crisis are set to be brought before the UN Security Council, another is coming up at the UN General Assembly.

    “In the UN, we take positions that are based on certain very careful considerations and certainly we do regard the merits of each and every case,” Shringla said at a media briefing.

    “We will consider them in their entirety and take decisions in our best interests,” he said.

    The foreign secretary was replying to a question on whether India’s position on the crisis will see some change following the death of an Indian student due to intense shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday.

    Last week, India abstained from voting on a resolution at the UN Security Council that sought to deplore the Russian military attack on Ukraine.

    But at the same time, India called for respecting the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of countries and sought immediate cessation of “violence and hostilities”.

    While abstaining from voting on the resolution, India issued an “Explanation of Vote” (EoV), in which it called for a “return to the path of diplomacy” and sought immediate cessation of “violence and hostilities”.

    India also told the UN Security Council that it has been in touch with all the parties concerned, urging them to return to the negotiating table.

    “The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” India said in the EoV.

    “All member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward. Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes, however daunting that may appear at this moment,” it said.

    Russia used its veto power to block the US-sponsored resolution deploring in the “strongest terms” the Russian “aggression” against Ukraine.

    Besides India, China and the United Arab Emirates also abstained from voting.

    India on Tuesday sent the first tranche of humanitarian assistance comprising medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine via Poland.

    At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said another flight will carry the second consignment of aid to the east European country on Wednesday.

    “A flight left this morning carrying the first tranche of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine through Poland,” he said.

    India on Monday decided to send the relief supplies to Ukraine to help it deal with the humanitarian situation along its border areas that has arisen out of tens of thousands of people attempting to flee the Russian invasion.

    “The prime minister noted that the first consignment of relief supplies to Ukraine to deal with the humanitarian situation on Ukraine’s borders would be despatched tomorrow,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

    Ukrainian envoy Igor Polikha thanked India for sending humanitarian aid to his country.

  • India’s position consistent: Foreign Secretary on Ukraine crisis

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s position on the crisis in Ukraine has been “consistent” and it has every reason to believe that it should be in touch with all parties concerned, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Sunday.

    Referring to India’s stand on the UN Security Council resolution on Friday, Shringla said it has definitely pointed out that “loss of human lives is not acceptable”.

    India abstained from voting on the resolution that condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine, but at the same time New Delhi called for respecting the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of States and sought immediate cessation of “violence and hostilities”.

    “In the UN Security Council, we have conveyed deep regret at the evolving situation. We have also definitely pointed out that loss of human lives is not acceptable,” Shringla said at a media briefing.

    “But at the same, time we have said that diplomacy and dialogue are the only option. Clearly from that perspective. I think our position has been consistent when it comes to dealing with the current situation at hand,” he said.

    The foreign secretary was replying to a question on the issue.

    “We have been engaged with all parties. The prime minister has spoken to presidents of Russia and Ukraine. The external affairs minister has been in touch with a very wide range of interlocutors who are involved in the situation,” Shringla said.

    The foreign secretary said he separately met with the envoys of Russia and Ukraine on Sunday.

    “We are essentially a country that has not only interests in the region. We have friends, we have equities in the area. We have every reason to believe that we should be in touch with all concerned,” he said.

    “If we can play (a role), if there is any way that anyone can contribute, not just us but anyone can contribute to alleviating what is a difficult situation, I am sure they would do what it takes,” he said.

    Shringla was asked whether India was keen to play a role in defusing the crisis.

    While abstaining from voting on the resolution, India issued an ‘Explanation of Vote’ (EoV) in which it called for “return to the path of diplomacy” and sought immediate cessation of “violence and hostilities”.

    India also told the UN Security Council that it has been in touch with all parties concerned urging them to return to the negotiating table.

    “The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” India said in the EoV said.

    “All member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward. Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes, however daunting that may appear at this moment,” it said.

    Russia used its veto power to block the US-sponsored resolution deploring in the “strongest terms” Russian “aggression” against Ukraine.

    Besides India, China and the United Arab Emirates too abstained from voting.

  • Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla participates in US-hosted COVID-19 global action meeting

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday at a US-hosted meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic that India is in talks with the World Health Organisation for an MoU for sharing its CoWIN platform globally under an initiative of the UN body, according to sources.

    Shringla also told the meeting, convened by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that India will be happy to extend the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network of laboratories for genomic sequencing and surveillance in its neighbourhood, the sources said.

    The foreign secretary also mentioned that India will take its experience in testing, treating and vaccinating a large population spread out in different geographies and terrains to create customised and tailor-made capacity building and technical training programmes for front-line and healthcare workers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, they said.

    Shringla said four WHO-approved vaccines (COVAXIN, COVISHIELD, COVOVAX and JANSSEN) and three others due for approvals (CORBEVAX, ZyCov-D and Gennova) are being produced in India, according to the sources.

    He said India has the capacity to produce 5 billion doses in 2022. Blinken hosted the COVID-19 Global Action Meeting to coordinate efforts on pandemic response, particularly in the areas of vaccination, supply chain resilience and strengthening the global health security architecture.

    Shringla conveyed in the meeting that India has offered the CoWIN as an open-source digital public good and is in talks with the WHO for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for sharing the platform globally through the global body’s C-TAP (COVID Technology Access Pool) initiative, the sources said.

    The CoWIN is India’s digital technology platform for COVID-19 vaccination. Shringla also apprised the meeting that India has supplied over 162 million vaccine doses to 97 countries and two UN organisations, the sources said, adding he also mentioned New Delhi’s humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and Afghanistan.

    The foreign secretary said India is collaborating with its Quad partners to deliver a billion doses in the Indo-Pacific region in 2022, according to the sources.

    The meeting was attended by foreign ministers and senior representatives of several countries and international organisations.

    With External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar being on an official tour abroad, Shringla represented India at the meeting, the sources said.

    The foreign secretary also mentioned India’s focus on strengthening and securing global supply chains and noted that the country will rally with like-minded partners and the WHO to improve sub-optimal approval and regulatory processes which are an impediment for stable and predictable supplies, the sources said.

    He said India will also work for the implementation of the TRIPS waiver that it co-sponsored with South Africa to diversify local manufacturing in regional markets, they said, The foreign secretary said India has administered over 1.7 billion doses, fully vaccinating 70 per cent of its adult population and the CoWIN has handled up to 25 million daily vaccinations.

    He said India is committed to playing a constructive role to help end the pandemic and that it will develop these ideas and share the next steps shortly, according to the sources.

  • Indian Ocean Region to face ever-increasing battery of threats and uncertainties: Foreign Secretary

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will face an ever-increasing battery of threats and uncertainties, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday.

    Addressing the Goa Maritime Conclave on “Maritime security and emerging non-traditional threats: A case for proactive role for Indian Ocean Region navies”, he also spoke of challenges arising from geopolitical volatilities.

    A lack of commitment to settled international law has led to an increased militarization of the region, he said.

    Militarization always adds to complexities, he added.

    “The Indian Ocean Region, it is quite obvious, will face an increasingly complicated, rapidly evolving, and more demanding security situation, with an ever-increasing battery of threats and uncertainties,” Shringla said.

    “This requires all of us, and in particular the navies, the coast guards and the maritime security agencies of this region, to do more together,” he said.

    “India stands ready and willing to do its share – and more – in tackling these problems,” he added.

    The conclave was organised by the Naval War College in Goa.

    “Security in the context of foreign policy or diplomacy has traditionally been associated with countering external security threats – primarily military. Historically, diplomatic efforts to improve security have been about negotiating security alliances,” Shringla said.

    “We now operate on the basis of an expanded concept of human security that takes a broader view,” he said.

    “We are in the process of devising a new set of measures and arrangements that reflect this understanding of security. They are based less on the traditional concept of a military alliance and more on a cooperative approach, on prevention, on sharing of information, and, on promoting inter-operability across state borders,” he said.

    Many of these cooperative activities that we undertake are in the policing and law-enforcement spheres, he said.

    “It is my belief that these measures are more appropriate to the newer and rapidly evolving threat matrix that we are confronted with,” Shringla said.

    Referring to the IOR countries, he said “We also inhabit a particular contemporary geopolitical and geoeconomics reality.”

    “We are a part of the greater Indo-Pacific space. This is a construct that has, for a very good reason, attracted much diplomatic and strategic attention,” he added.

    Shringla said the rapid growth of Asia’s share in global output, the business prowess of Asian companies and the growing Asian technological abilities are driving the global economic centre of gravity to the East.

    The coronavirus pandemic is the greatest shock for our generation but also a moment of opportunity as all crises are succeeded by periods of growth, he said.

    “Empirically speaking, crises accelerate transitions and the emergence of new realities. The Covid pandemic is certainly the greatest shock in the memories of our generation,” he said.

    He pointed out that the pandemic locked down an entire planet, destroyed lives, claimed livelihoods, closed schools and educational institutes, and accentuated fault lines in many environments.

    “Paradoxically, this is also a moment of opportunity. Empirically speaking again, all crises are succeeded by periods of growth,” he added.

    The foreign secretary recalled that the Great Depression and the Second World War were followed by sustained economic growth.

    “Major health crises have led to investments in medical science and public health that have transformed our lives,” he said, adding major economies are on the rebound.

    He said that the pandemic has highlighted both the opportunity and the vulnerabilities of the maritime sector.

    Shringla said this combination of opportunity and vulnerability is something that we will have to accommodate in our priorities and policies and to build in resilience, sustainability and reliability in our supply chain.

    “As we all know, these massive logistical capacities cushioned some impact of the pandemic.

    We have, however, now become painfully aware that the economic rebound is being stressed by shipping delays and shortages of containers,” the foreign secretary said.

  • India committed to Bangladesh’s growth: Foreign Secy Shringla

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday said that India-Bangladesh relations have matured over the years and the country remains a committed partner in Bangladesh’s economic growth, prosperity and social indicators.

    “Bangladesh is India’s biggest development partner and India’s largest trading partner in South Asia, contributing to economic prosperity and supply chain resilience in the region and beyond,” Shringla said in his recorded address, during the second day of the three-day Indian Air Force conclave to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, in Bengaluru.

    According to Shringla, comprehensive connectivity is the key to the partnership and both sides worked together to revive the pre-1965 rail connectivity and expand it. Other modes are also being strengthened, especially for linkages with the North-Eastern regions of India, he said, adding that waterways, passenger cruise ships, energy and power lines have been added. “Both countries share strong people-to-people ties, which are further strengthened through capacity-building programmes, partnerships and cultural exchanges,” he said.

    He said the two pillars of Indian diplomacy – Neighbourhood First and Act East – find expression in India’s vibrant ties with its neighbour and the year is of special significance in bilateral relations. Bangladesh liberation freedom fighters — ‘Muktijoddhas’ — and their families are the bridge between the two countries. 

    India and Bangladesh are deeper than any other strategic partnership, Shringla said it is a role-model for the relationship between two neighbouring countries. The Foreign Secretary termed the 1971 war as “Dharma Yudha” for justice over cruel tyranny and genocide. 

  • India hopes China will work with it to bring satisfactory resolution to current issues: Foreign Secretary

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Asserting that peace and tranquillity in the border areas is a “sine qua non” for India and China to work together, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday said New Delhi hopes that Beijing will work with it to bring a satisfactory resolution to the current issues, keeping in view each other’s sensitivities and interests.

    In his remarks at a seminar on “Leveraging China’s Economy”, Shringla also said the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh have “seriously disturbed” the peace and tranquillity in border areas, and this has obviously had an impact on the broader relationship too.

    The foreign secretary also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that the ability of India and China to work together will determine the Asian century.

    “For this to materialise, peace and tranquillity in the border areas is a sine qua non. He (Jaishankar) has also clearly articulated that development of our ties can only be based on mutuality — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests should guide this process,” Shringla said.

    “We hope that the Chinese side will work with us to bring a satisfactory resolution to the current issues so as to make progress on our bilateral relations keeping in view each other’s sensitivities, aspirations and interests,” the foreign secretary said.

    The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August and in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February.

    Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector, according to sources.

    In his remarks, Shringla also talked about the issues of concerns in the Sino-India trade relationship such as the widening trade deficit and increase in trade barriers.

    “China is our largest neighbour. With its GDP reaching USD 14.7 trillion in 2020, China’s economy is the second-largest in the world. Under the shadow of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, China is the only major economy to have registered positive growth in 2020,” he said.

    Being the largest contributor to world trade and our largest trading partner, it is imperative for us to have a better understanding of China’s economy, Shringla said.

    He noted that India’s relations generally followed a positive trajectory since 1988 when the two country’s re-established contacts at the highest level.

    “We were engaged in developing a broad-based bilateral relationship. The advancement of ties in this period was clearly predicated on ensuring that peace and tranquillity were not disturbed. The areas of cooperation were not limited to bilateral but also had regional and global dimensions,” he said.

    It was also recognised that relations between India and China were in the interest of not only our two countries but also in the interest of peace, stability and security in the region and world at large, Shringla said at the seminar organised by the Centre for Contemporary China Studies.

    Noting that last year, the total trade volume between the two countries was around USD 88 billion, Shringla said in the first nine months of this year, the bilateral trade touched USD 90 billion, an increase of 49 per cent over last year.

    “At this rate, we are likely to attain the highest ever bilateral trade between two countries,” he said.

    The trade, however, remains unbalanced with a large trade balance in favour of China, Shringla said.

    “Our trade deficit concerns are two-fold the first is the actual size of the deficit. The trade deficit for the nine months period stood at USD 47 billion. This is the largest trade deficit we have with any country. Second, is the fact that the imbalance has continuously been widening,” the foreign secretary said.

    There are a number of market access impediments including a whole host of non-tariff barriers, for most of our agricultural products and the sectors we are competitive in, such as pharmaceutical, IT/ITES, etc., he said.

    “We have highlighted that widening deficit and increase in trade barriers are issues of concern. These have been regularly flagged at the highest level, most recently at the 2nd Informal Summit between our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Chinese President in Chennai in 2019,” Shringla said.

    He also said the government remains firm in its commitment to place this trade relationship on a more sustainable footing and raising these issues at all appropriate occasions with the Chinese side.

    Developments since then, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have not been helpful in our efforts to address these concerns, Shringla said.

    “Furthermore, the developments along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh have seriously disturbed the peace and tranquillity in border areas. This has obviously had an impact on the broader relationship too,” he said.

    “Even as we continue to pursue these issues with China, we also need to do work at home. That is why, Atmanirbhar Bharat — an India with greater capabilities not just helping itself but being a force for good in the international arena, becomes important,” Shringla said.

    He asserted that the digital economy is now an integral part of India’s development story.

  • India believes goal of nuclear disarmament can be achieved through step-by-step process: Shringla

    #39;India #39;s approach is outlined in our Working Paper submitted to the UNGA First Committee in 2006 and to the Conference on Disarmament in 2007, which has an enduring relevance, #39; said Shringla.

  • India concerned about implications of changes in Afghanistan, says Foreign Secretary Shringla

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: As a neighbour of Afghanistan, India is naturally concerned about the recent changes in that country and their implications for the region, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday.

    Referring to a recent resolution on Afghanistan by the UN Security Council, he said it addressed the main pending issues and demanded that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts.

    The foreign secretary was speaking at the sixth JP Morgan ‘India Investor Summit’.

    ​ALSO READ | Pakistan sends humanitarian aid to Afghanistan via Torkham border crossing

    “The situation in our neighbourhood, particularly in Afghanistan, and with China on our eastern borders reminds us that while the new realities are making themselves felt, traditional security challenges remain,” he said.

    Talking about the eastern Ladakh standoff, Shringla said Chinese attempts over the last year to unilaterally alter the status quo in the region have seriously disturbed peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

    “We have made it clear to the Chinese side that peace and tranquillity in border areas is essential for development of our relationship. Development of India-China relationship can only be based on ‘three mutuals’ — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests,” he said.

    On Afghanistan, the foreign secretary said New Delhi is concerned about implications of the recent developments for India and the region.

    “As an immediate neighbour, we are naturally concerned about the recent changes within Afghanistan and their implications for us and the region,” he said.

    He said India’s immediate focus was on the evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan and that most of the Indian nationals have been able to leave Kabul in August.

    ​ALSO READ | We have to consider Afghan children, as our children, says Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi

    “A number of Afghans, including minorities, who wanted to travel to India, have also been able to do so. However, this process could not be completed due to the security situation at the airport,” he said.

    “Resumption of flights from Kabul airport is, therefore, a priority. We are closely monitoring the unfolding situation,” Shringla added.

    He also mentioned the UN Security Council resolution 2593 on Afghanistan that was adopted on August 30 under India’s presidency of the global body, and noted that it comprehensively addressed the main pending issues relating to that country.

    “The resolution demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts; and specifically refers to terrorist individuals proscribed by the UN Security Council, including the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad,” Shringla said.

    The foreign secretary said India is also monitoring developments related to the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan.

    “In UNDP’s assessment, there is an imminent threat of poverty levels rising in Afghanistan. There is also a threat of an imminent drought and a food security crisis,” he said.

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    “It is important for the humanitarian assistance providers to be given unrestricted and direct access to Afghanistan,” the foreign secretary said.

    He also underlined the need to ensure that the distribution of humanitarian assistance is done in a “non-discriminatory manner” to all sections of the Afghan society.

    “India’s approach to Afghanistan has been guided by our civilisational relationship with the Afghan people. We have extended over USD 3 billion as development assistance for the welfare of the people of Afghanistan,” he said.

    The foreign secretary said India has undertaken over 500 developmental projects spread across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

    “These initiatives have earned us tremendous goodwill in the country. Our friendship with the Afghan people will continue to guide our approach in the future,” he added.

  • Afghan crisis: PM chairs meeting with Doval, Foreign Secretary Shringla; India completes evacuation of diplomats

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security against the backdrop of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

    The Cabinet Committee on Security is the apex government body that deals with the issues of national security.

    Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the meeting, besides senior officials.

    While official sources confirmed the meeting, but there was no word on what transpired there.

    Sources said those present in the meeting also included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, as also India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, who returned to India on Tuesday itself.

    WATCH | TIMELINE: Key dates in Afghanistan since Taliban’s exit in 2001:

    India has brought back the Indian ambassador and all staff members from its embassy in Kabul in two military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension and deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital after its takeover by the Taliban.

    A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought back from Kabul around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians on Tuesday.

    Another flight had evacuated around 40 staffers from Kabul on Monday.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the MEA said that the immediate priority for the government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan.

    India on Tuesday said the evacuation of its embassy staff from Kabul has been completed and the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital in view of the prevailing situation in the country.

    India has brought back the Indian ambassador and all staff members from its embassy in Kabul in two military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension and deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital after its takeover by the Taliban.

    In a tweet, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the movement from Kabul to India was a “difficult and complicated” exercise and thanked all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible.

    “In view of the prevailing situation in Kabul, it was decided that our Embassy personnel would be immediately moved to India. This movement has been completed in two phases and the Ambassador and all other India-based personnel have reached New Delhi this afternoon,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

    The statement by the MEA came soon after a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought back from Kabul around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians.

    Another flight evacuated around 40 staffers from Kabul on Monday.

    The MEA 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 MEA’s Special Afghanistan Cell that has been set up to coordinate evacuation.

    “The main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of Kabul airport. This has been discussed at high levels with our partners, including by the External Affairs Minister with the US Secretary of State,” the MEA said.

    “Government of India is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals and will institute flight arrangements once Kabul airport is open for commercial operations,” it said.

    A contingent of 99 ITBP commandos along with three sniffer dogs landed at the Hindon IAF base on Tuesday onboard a military evacuation flight from Taliban-captured Afghanistan, officials said.

    The commandos also brought back their personal weapons and belongings and will now undergo a week-long COVID-19 quarantine at a Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility in Delhi, they said.

    “With this, our complete contingent deployed for securing the Embassy in Kabul, its four consulates in Afghanistan and diplomats have returned. The commandos came along with the Embassy staffers along with other Indian nationals,” ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.

    The commandos were taken away in brown-coloured ITBP buses from the Hindon airbase to the quarantine facility.

    A senior officer said the commandos also carried along their personal AK series assault weapons, bullet-proof jackets, helmets, communication gadgets, ammunition and three sniffer dogs.

    Thirty diplomats including Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, 99 ITBP commandos and 21 civilians were onboard the C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that took off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul this morning and made a halt at the Jamnagar airforce base before touching down at Hindon in Ghaziabad near here in the evening, he said.

    There were four journalists among the 21 civilians, he said.

    The ITBP had deployed over 300 commandos for security duties in Afghanistan.

    The force was first deployed to secure the premises of the Kabul Embassy, diplomats and staffers in November, 2002.

    It later sent its additional detachments to similarly guard Indian consulates located in Jalalabad, Kandhar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

    The detachments from the consulates have already been withdrawn after they were shut recently due to the current crisis in the country and also due to negligible footfall as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the globe.

    The ITBP also was deployed to secure the Delaram-Zaranj road project that was executed by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) between 2005-08.

    A number of ITBP commandos were also killed in various terrorist attacks that took place during these duties and many of them were decorated with gallantry medals.