News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban violence

  • Congress leader demands evacuation of Hindus, Sikhs from war-torn Afghanistan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill on Monday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar demanding the immediate evacuation of Hindus and Sikhs from war-torn Afghanistan.

    In his letter, Shergill said his love for his own people of Indian origin has compelled him to take up the matter with Jaishankar.

    “As you are more than aware, the Taliban offensive has escalated in Afghanistan, post-US withdrawal of troops, and they are fighting at gun point to turn the country, once again into a hub for transnational terrorism,” he said in his letter.

    “The current catastrophic trajectory of violence has caused a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, thus, risking the lives of the people, including those from India,” he also said.

    According to the information available in public domain, around 650 Sikhs and 50 Hindus are stuck in Afghanistan and have become sitting targets for the Taliban adamant to kill minorities belonging to Indian origin, he said.

    The Congress leader cited cited several instances of attacks on minorities of Indian origin, including the recent act of the Taliban removing Nishan Sahib from a gurudwara located in Chamkani Area of ??Paktia, killing of 25 Sikhs during an attack on Gurudwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul, the suicide attack in Jalalabad in July, 2018 in which 19 Sikhs and Hindus were killed.

    “These people, fearing for their lives, have appealed to the Government of India for their immediate evacuation,” he said.

    The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the United States began withdrawing its troops from the country on May 1.

    The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31.

    India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

     

  • UNSC meeting today to discuss security situation in Afghanistan

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which is currently headed by India, will meet on Friday to assess the security situation in Afghanistan amidst rise in violence by the Taliban. 

    India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti said the meeting will include a briefing and consultations on the developments in the war-torn country. “UN #SecurityCouncil will meet on Friday, 6th August, under Indian Presidency to discuss and take stock of the situation in #Afghanistan,” Tirumurti said in his tweet.

    The announcement comes a day after Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay, in an interview to this newspaper, said that Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar during a telephonic conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had urged India to convene a meeting on Afghanistan. According to sources, the meeting was convened after consultations with the five permanent and nine non-permanent members of the UNSC.

    Mamundzay thanked India for calling the meeting. “Convening an emergency UNSC session on Afghanistan is a positive development. UN & international community must play a greater role to stop the tragedy in Afghanistan due to violence & atrocities by terrorists. Thank you India for the lead role as UNSC President,” he tweeted.

    Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and that India continues to call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. “As regards the UNSC, the issue of Afghanistan will be deliberated. You would have seen the Press Statement of August 3 on the escalating violence in Afghanistan, which echoes much of what we have been saying. During tomorrow’s debate, we will share our vision and perspectives on Afghanistan and look forward to productive deliberations.”

    Jaishankar in Iran, talk on Taliban likely New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reached Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi. Jaishankar, who will be in Iran for two days, will meet top Iranian leadership including his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif. The situation in Afghanistan and resurgence of the Taliban is likely to be discussed.