News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban in Afghanistan

  • 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.

    ​ALSO READ | EAM Jaishankar, his Saudi counterpart discuss developments in Afghanistan

    “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.

  • 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.

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  • Nothing to worry about fallout of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in Kashmir: Army

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The Army on Sunday said the security situation in the Kashmir valley is under control and there is nothing to worry about the fallout of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

    The General Officer Commanding of the Army’s 15 Corps, also known as the Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General D P Pandey, said this to reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

    “This is a playground and I do not want to comment about the outsiders. But remember, the security situation here is in our control and there is nothing to worry about it,” he said, replying to a question on the challenges for the security establishment in Kashmir in the wake of Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban.

    ​ALSO READ | ‘Felt like won’t be returning home’: UP man recalls tense moments before evacuation from Kabul airport

    The GOC was the chief guest at the final match of the Kashmir Premier League cricket tournament, which was played at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium.

    Lt Gen. Pandey appealed to the youngsters in the valley to focus on sports and hoped that Kashmir will produce an Olympic gold medallist like Neeraj Chopra in the future.

    “Today, National Sports Day is being celebrated and there could not have been a great day for this final than today. I take this opportunity to appeal to the youth to focus on every sport and not cricket so that god willing, a Neeraj Chopra comes to the fore from here,” he said.

    The Army officer said sports teaches discipline and the youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir, who have a lot of talent, should use it to earn a name for themselves.

    He asked them to learn from the success story of former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who was also present on the occasion.

    “Like you and me, he (Pathan) rose from a small village and reached here with his hard work. I am sure all of you will learn from him and move forward to become good citizens, good sportsmen with full discipline and earn a name for the country,” he said.

    Speaking to reporters, Pathan said there is a lot of talent in Jammu and Kashmir.

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    “I learnt that from Irfan (Pathan, Yusuf’s brother who was roped in by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association as a player-cum-mentor for the cricket team of the Union Territory). Two to three boys were selected and played in the IPL as well. This is a good sign that there is talent is here. The way the Army has organised the tournament, which has been played by 200 teams, it is worth appreciation and it will encourage the talent,” he said.

    Pathan said the Army is working hard to encourage youngsters and its efforts will bear fruits.

    “People here are working to take cricket forward. Everyone wants IPL matches, national and international games to be played here. Obviously, it will happen once the infrastructure is there,” he said.

  • Anticipated Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but timelines surprised us: CDS Gen Bipin Rawat

    General Rawat said New Delhi was concerned about the possibility of terrorist activities from Afghanistan impacting India and contingency plans were put into place to deal with such a challenge.

  • Couldn’t even collect fistful of soil to remind me of home: Afghan’s first non-Muslim woman MP

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s first non-Muslim woman MP Anarkali Kaur Honaryar never thought she would have to leave her country.

    But as the Taliban swept into Kabul, she had to take flight not getting a chance to even collect a handful of the soil as a memory of her motherland.

    Honaryar, 36, a dentist, championed the cause of women in the highly patriarchal society of Afghanistan and led campaigns for the rights of the vulnerable communities.

    She dreamt of a life in a progressive and democratic Afghanistan.

    “My dream is now shattered.”

    ALSO READ | All Afghan nationals must travel to India only on e-Visa, says MHA in new circular

    Honaryar still hopes that Afghanistan gets a government that protects the gains made in the last 20 years.

    “Maybe it’s little, but we still have time.”

    Hostilities in Afghanistan had earlier forced the Sikh MP’s relatives to move to India, Europe and Canada.

    Honaryar and her family reached India in an Indian Air Force’s C-17 transport aircraft on Sunday morning amid a deteriorating situation in her country after the return of the Taliban.

    She overcame with emotions at the airport thinking whether she will be able to return home, ever.

    “I didn’t even get the time to take a fistful of my country’s soil…..a souvenir from my country. I could just touch the ground at the airport before boarding the flight,” Honaryar said as she broke into tears.

    ALSO READ | Taliban said no harm will be done to gurdwaras, but who will take care of them: Afghan Sikh MP

    Staying at a hotel in Delhi, her ailing mother wants to go back to Kabul.

    “I don’t know what to tell her,” Honaryar says.

    In May 2009, Honaryar was chosen by Radio Free Europe’s Afghan chapter as their “Person of the Year”.

    The recognition made her a household name in Kabul.

    A doctor by profession, the lawmaker recalls her days when she worked for the Afghan human rights commission and traversed the seemingly inaccessible mountains regions of the country.

    “Muslim women trusted me despite not being from the same religion,” she says.

    Asked about her friends and co-workers who are still stuck in the conflict-torn nation, she says “We tried really hard to avoid a situation where we have to leave our country.”

    “My colleagues and my friends have been calling me, sending me messages. But how do I respond? Every call, every message breaks my heart, makes me cry. They think I am safe and at ease in Delhi, but how do I tell them that I miss them a lot.”Honaryar says the memories that she wants to keep are of the love she received in Afghanistan.

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    “In Afghanistan, people would swarm around me and click selfies when I would come out from meetings. They loved me because I was their voice in the National Assembly. I fought for everyone. The issues I raised, all my speeches, are part of the records of the Assembly,” she said.

    Among her recorded speeches is a vow that Honaryar took — not to work for a Taliban government ever.

    “I said a lot of things against the Taliban. My ideas and principles are completely opposite. I’m alive and hopeful. I will continue to work for Afghanistan from Delhi,” she says.

    Honaryar feels that the future is unpredictable for the people of Afghanistan.

    “The people are so depressed that they are desperately clinging onto planes….as if those are buses that would take them to safety,” she said gazing into a void.

    The one question that troubles her the most is the future of women under Taliban rule.

    “The Taliban said no one will be harmed. But peace does not mean non-violence. Peace means that they accept women as equals and recognize their rights,” she said.

  • Afghanistan’s territory shouldn’t be used by terror groups such as LeT, JeM: India at UNHRC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday said the current situation in Afghanistan is of “great concern” to it, hoping that it does not pose a challenge to its neighbours and the country is not used by terrorist groups such as LeT and JeM.

    In his address at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Afghanistan, Indian ambassador Indra Mani Pandey said a “grave” humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the country and everyone is concerned about the increasing violations of fundamental rights of the Afghan people.

    He said India hopes that the situation stabilises soon, and the parties concerned address the humanitarian and security issues.

    ALSO READ | We’ll never even think of going back to Afghanistan now: Women refugees in India

    “We also hope that there is an inclusive and broad-based dispensation which represents all sections of Afghan society. Voices of Afghan women, aspirations of Afghan children and the rights of minorities must be respected,” he said.

    A broad-based representation would help the arrangement gain more acceptability and legitimacy, he added.

    Pandey, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said stability in Afghanistan is linked to the peace and security of the region.

    “We hope that the situation in Afghanistan does not pose a challenge to its neighbours and its territory is not used by terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to threaten any other country,” he said.

    The ambassador said as a neighbour of Afghanistan, the situation prevailing in the country is of “great concern” to India.

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    “We are closely monitoring the rapidly evolving security situation in Afghanistan and we continue to call upon parties concerned to maintain law and order, ensure the safety and security of all Afghan nationals, UN personnel and diplomatic staff members, and observe human rights and international humanitarian law in all circumstances in Afghanistan,” he added.

    The UN Human Rights Council is holding the special session to discuss the human rights concerns and situation in Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban.

  • Taliban had killed our kin; we have no hope from them: Afghan refugees in India

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rishad Rahmani, who moved to India from Afghanistan in 2019, carries on the side of his neck a tattoo depicting flight of a pigeon, symbolising a desire of freedom for Afghans, but his mind bears the scars of his uncle’s killing at the hands of the Taliban a few years ago.

    The 22-year-old Afghan, who hails from Mazhar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province in northern part of the war-torn country, detests the mention of the word ‘Taliban’, which ironically, in Pashto means students.

    “We have a bad feeling about the situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. People there are scared and we refugees in India are also tense, as many of our family members are there. So, many Afghans are fleeing their homeland left with no choice,” Rahmani said.

    ALSO READ | Airbnb to offer free housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees amid exodus after Taliban takeover

    He was among hundreds of Afghan refugees, drawn from Delhi and neighbouring cities, who vociferously protested in front of the UNHCR office here, demanding safety for themselves and their compatriots in Afghanistan.

    “The Taliban claim they will not cause any harm to Afghans. But, they are already targeting people who worked for the government they just toppled, or those who were associated with the US Army when it was present in Afghanistan. They are shooting people who carry the Afghan flag,” he said.

    While sharing his thoughts on the current situation, Rahmani, who lives in an enclave of Afghan refugees in Noida, points to his pigeon tattoo, and says, “I carry this as a desire for freedom for us Afghans and for our beloved Afghanistan, which has seen decades of fractured peace due to civil war and the Taliban”.

    “My mother and other family members, living in India, are tense right now. My mother is under depression thinking about the fate of Afganistan. Her brother who was a translator was killed by the Taliban a few years ago. We had left our homeland seeking peace and better future,” he recalled.

    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.

    ​ALSO READ | Afghans in Indonesia protest Taliban, demand resettlement

    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.

    Anjam Ahmad Khan, 28, another Afghan refugee, who lives with his wife and three children in Delhi, has grown pessimistic after the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan, swiftly and without much force.

    “I spoke to my mother in Kabul a few days ago, she was crying. She mostly cries now. We are worried about her and other family members, as the Taliban are going after various families. With the Taliban in control, no have no hope left for Afghanistan or its people now. Taliban is not the rule of Islam, it’s just sheer terror,” he rued.

    Khan had lost an immediate family member, who worked in the country’s army, to the bullets of the Taliban, a few years ago, and its return scares him.

    “They are keeping a sham of reformed Taliban with rights for women, just to form a government. They will go back to their old ways, once they are legitimately in power. We can’t trust this regressive Taliban, which opposed learning of English by Afghans as anti-Islam, and suppressed women and girls,” he lamented.

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    Khan is also a member of the Afghanistan Solidarity Committee, an umbrella outfit of Afghan refugees in India, which organised the protest in Delhi in front of the UN Refugees Agency in Vasant Vihar.

    The protestors also demanded release of “support letters” from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), seeking to migrate to other countries for better opportunities.

    Many other refugees, men and women, echoed the woeful tales narrated by Rahmani and Khan, and for some it triggered the 1990s era when the Taliban had run riot, and later even blown up the world heritage site of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas statutes in 2001.

    “All beautiful lands are mostly a troubled paradise. I hanker for my country, but the Taliban will not let it be our homeland. We don’t want to live like slaves in our own country. This ‘pigeon’ (tattoo) with me keeps reminding me that I will have to keep striving for my freedom too,” Rahmani said, before returning to the protesting crowd to chant slogans.

  • India’s evacuation mission from Afghanistan named ‘Operation Devi Shakti’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s complex mission to evacuate its citizens and Afghan partners from Kabul after its swift takeover by the Taliban last week has been named as “Operation Devi Shakti”.

    The name of the operation was known when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mentioned it in a tweet on Tuesday while referring to the arrival of a fresh batch of 78 evacuees in Delhi.

    “Op Devi Shakti continues. 78 evacuees from Kabul arrive via Dushanbe. Salute @IAF_MCC, @AirIndiain and #TeamMEA for their untiring efforts.#DeviShakti,” he said.

    ALSO READ | We’ll never even think of going back to Afghanistan now: Women refugees in India

    India began the complex evacuation mission by airlifting 40 Indians from Kabul to Delhi on August 16, a day after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital city.

    So far, India has evacuated over 800 people amid a deteriorating security situation in Kabul and scramble by various nations to rescue their citizens.

    Thousands of Afghans have been crowding around the Kabul airport for over a week, in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban’s brutality.

    ALSO READ | ‘Were made to sit under shadown of guns’: Gorakhpur native recalls Taliban horror

    At a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 17 directed officials to ensure the safe evacuation of all Indians from Afghanistan and provide refuge to Afghan Sikhs and Hindus wanting to come to India.

    In the last few days, India stepped up its efforts to evacuate Indians and its Afghan partners from Kabul amid increasing hostilities by the Taliban.

    After India evacuated the Indian embassy staff from Kabul on August 17, Jaishankar had described the mission as a “difficult and complicated” exercise.

    On Tuesday, India brought back 78 people, including 25 of its nationals and a number of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from Dushanbe, a day after they were evacuated from Kabul to the Tajik city.

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  • Will attend all-party meet on Afghanistan crisis, says Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that representatives of the ruling TMC in the state would be attending the all-party meeting called by the Centre to discuss the Afghanistan crisis.

    The Centre has called for an all-party meeting on August 26 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, following the Taliban takeover.

    “We will definitely be attending Thursday’s all-party meeting on Afghanistan, called by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA),” the TMC supremo told reporters at the state secretariat.

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

    The central government’s briefing is expected to focus on India’s evacuation mission from Afghanistan as well as the government’s assessment of the developing situation in Afghanistan.

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  • Three Sikh scripture copies, 75 people being flown in from Kabul to India on IAF aircraft 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Three copies of Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib and 75 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, are being evacuated from war-ravaged Afghanistan on an IAF plane, people coordinating the evacuation efforts with the Indian government said on Monday.

    Nearly 200 more Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are still stranded in Afghanistan, said Puneet Singh Chandhok, president of the Indian World Forum, an organisation coordinating the evacuation efforts with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

    “These people have taken shelter at the Karte Parwan gurdwara in Kabul, which is close to the airport,” he added. Announcing the evacuation flight, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri took to Twitter to say, “Three Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji are being escorted to the IAF aircraft at Kabul Airport. Forty-six Afghan Hindus and Sikhs along with stranded Indian nationals are blessed to return on the same flight.”

    ALSO READ | Centre to brief leaders of political parties on developments in Afghanistan

    “Seventy-five people are on the flight. Three Guru Granth Sahib ji are also being brought to India,” Chandhok said.

    Referring to those still stranded in Kabul, he said the 10-kilometre-long drive to the international airport from the Gurdwara Karte Parwan through various checkpoints is one of the biggest challenges in the rescue efforts.

    Around 100 more Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are likely to be evacuated in a couple of hours, Chandhok added.

    The evacuation of these 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus at such a challenging time is a big relief for us, said Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, which is also coordinating with the Indian government in the evacuation mission.

    “US security forces escorted these people to the Kabul airport,” he said.

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    India on Monday brought back 146 citizens on four different flights from Qatar’s capital Doha, days after they were evacuated from Afghanistan by NATO and American aircraft amid the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country.

    On Sunday, it had evacuated 392 individuals from Kabul on three flights.

    Among them were 24 Afghan Sikhs, including two Afghan MPs — Narinder Singh Khalsa and Anarkali Kaur Honaryar — and their families.

    India is carrying out the evacuation missions in coordination with the US and several other friendly countries.