News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban

  • India failed to draw up plan well in advance to evacuate citizens from Afghanistan: Sitaram Yechury 

    By PTI

    COIMBATORE: CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday accused the Centre of failing to draw up a plan well in advance to evacuate Indians from Afghanistan before the Taliban gained control over the country.

    “The government should have planned the evacuation much earlier before the Taliban took over Afghanistan, as the air space was totally closed down after it,” he told reporters here.

    Demanding that the government provide proper information about the steps taken to ensure the safety of Indians, he said many countries had evacuated their citizens earlier, anticipating what was going to happen in another 10 days.

    India on Tuesday brought back home the Indian ambassador and its staff at the embassy in Kabul in a military transport aircraft in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital, two days after its takeover by the Taliban.

    Yechury, here to address the two-day Party State Committee meeting, alleged that India was seen as a ‘subordinate ally’ of the United States, “which should not have gone to that country.

    ” On the Pegasus snooping issue, he said the Centre’s response in the Supreme Court was a ‘clear admission that it has used the spyware.

    The Supreme Court on Monday said it cannot compel the ‘reluctant’ Centre to file a detailed affidavit on pleas seeking information if Pegasus spyware was used to snoop on certain citizens and steps it took to probe the allegations amid vehement claims that there was ‘nothing to hide ” and it will set up a panel to examine all aspects related to the issue.

    Yechury also flayed the Centre’s move to observe August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ and asked the Government to focus on strengthening the Constitution further, as the country had adopted a secular and democratic Constitution (after partition.

    The CPI(M) would organise nation-wide protests along with Opposition parties next month on various demands, including effectively controlling the pandemic, he said.

    Yechury also demanded that the Centre withdraw the duty hike on petroleum products.

  • India should respond to Afghan developments in ‘humane manner’: HD Deve Gowda

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday said India will have to respond to the developments in Afghanistan in a “humane manner”, besides developing an independent policy of fostering friendship and peace in our neighbourhood.

    “Reports from Afghanistan show how fear and uncertainty have gripped the country. It is a difficult moment for India and the entire region. We have to respond in a humane manner besides developing an independent policy of fostering friendship and peace in our neighbourhood,” Gowda tweeted.

    India on Tuesday brought back home the Indian ambassador and its staff at the embassy in Kabul in a heavy-lift military transport aircraft in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital, two days after its take over by the Taliban.

    Hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday, the Taliban took control of Kabul, capturing power nearly 20 years after a US-led military invasion ousted it in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

  • Taliban fighting for freedom of Afghanistan: SP’s Sambhal MP

    By ANI

    LUCKNOW: Coming out in support of the regime change in Afghanistan, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Sambhal on Tuesday said that the Taliban is fighting for the freedom of their country and Afghan people want freedom under its leadership.

    Speaking to ANI, the SP MP said, “When India was under British rule, our country fought for freedom. Now Taliban wants to free their country and run it. Taliban is a force that did not allow even strong countries like Russia and US to settle in their country.”

    Barq stated that now the Taliban wants to free their country while adding that it is an internal matter of the Taliban.

    “Afghanistan’s independence is their personal matter. Why the US will rule in Afghanistan? The Taliban is a force there and the Afghan people want freedom under its leadership,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya slammed Barq and said there is no difference between Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the leaders of the SP.

    “The Samajwadi Party can say anything, if such a statement has come from the SP on the Taliban, then what is the difference between Imran Khan and the leaders of the SP,” said Deputy CM.

    Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Taliban leaders have been discussing future government plans in Doha after gaining control of Kabul, as per a media report.

    Panic has gripped the Afghan capital as people fear a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. Thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway. (ANI)

  • Taliban takeover: Jammu and Kashmir LG urges Centre to evacuate Kulgam professors from Kabul

    By ANI

    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday urged Minister of State for External Affairs of India V Muraleedharan to immediately evacuate Kulgam professors teaching at Bakhtar University in Kabul, informed Office of LG.

    “Spoke to MoS Foreign Affairs, V Muraleedharan for the immediate evacuation of professors from Kulgam teaching at Bakhtar University in Kabul. He has assured the government is committed to bring back every citizen safely as soon as possible,” the Office of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor said in a tweet.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor further assured the families that they will be home soon.

    “I assure the families of Prof Asif Ahmed and Prof Adil Rasool that they are safe and will be home soon,” it added.

    ALSO READ | IAF’s C-17 aircraft from Kabul lands at Jamnagar with over 100 Indians aboard

    Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force is evacuating Indian officials from Afghanistan.

    According to the sources, 120 Indian officials from Afghanistan has landed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar earlier today.

    The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Soon after the terror group claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country. Hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan. 

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Shashi Tharoor doubts presence of two Malayali Taliban in their victory celebration video

    By PTI

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday shared a video of a group of Taliban celebrating its victory in Afghanistan in his twitter account in which gun wielding men are heard speaking in Malayalam.

    “It sounds as if there are at least two Malayali Taliban her, one who says ‘samsarikkette’ around the 8-second mark & another who understands him!”, Tharoor wrote on his microblogging site after sharing the video posted on August 15.

    The video showed the Taliban member weeping in joy as they reached outside Kabul, hours ahead of falling of the Afghanistan capital in their hands.

  • Resurgence of Taliban will embolden terrorists in Kashmir, say experts

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: There is unanimity among security experts that the recent developments in Afghanistan will have implications in the insurgency in Kashmir even as they expressed varying degrees of threat to the situation in the Valley.

    Former J&K police chief SP Vaid expressed his apprehension in strong words. “Pakistan will now shift terror training camps of Jaish and Lashkar from PoK to Afghanistan for avoiding international scrutiny and for claiming that it has no role in the violence  in Kashmir. It suits Pakistan. Anti-India terror groups would get safe havens in Afghanistan.”

    Asserting that Afghanistan’s soil could now be used to plan big attacks such as the 9/11 and embolden terrorists in Kashmir, Vaid said Pakistan may ask the Taliban to divert some of its ranks to J&K for reviving terror operations. “9/11 happened from the soil of Afghanistan while the Taliban were ruling, so what is the guarantee something big like that won’t happen again?” 

    Senior defence analyst Maj Gen SB Asthana (retd) went a step further saying the export of terrorism was “quite possible and will be faster than we expect”. Its first impact will be Pakistan itself as the resurgent Taliban would not be so pliant to Islamabad, he added. 

    Over the past few years multiple reports prepared by the United Nations  have claimed that groups like the Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba were working in close coordination with the Taliban. 

    Pravin Sawhney, a retired Army officer and strategic analyst, did not consider Taliban’s taking over Kabul would have such direct effects on Kashmir, since the Taliban would try to endear itself to the international community for support. However, in his view, Kashmir will not remain unaffected by new regional geopolitics. 

    “We have our own indigenous problems in J&K. The biggest problem is that we are unable to differentiate between terrorism and insurgency. The problem there is insurgency. What is happening there has the support of people. The Kashmir situation in any case is volatile and people, in my estimation, feel alienated.”

    He added Pakistan has now a great opportunity to showcase to the world that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is indeed the flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

  • Afghanistan exit is latest chapter of USA’s failed interventions

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The sudden withdrawal of American troops has resulted in the Taliban taking over from Afghanistan and plunging it in chaos, but this is not the first time that the US has left a country to fend for itself after ‘intervention’.

    Vietnam in 1970s and Iraq in 2011 bear testimony to this fact. Experts say the US actions are in self-interest and done in response to its failed wars. “The financial and physical costs are eventually considered far outweighing the expected strategic benefits of remaining there. Domestic political considers sometimes also play a role in the withdrawal decisions too,” Moscow-based political analyst Andrew Korybko said.

    According to Korybko, the US might promise to continue economically, militarily, and supporting their proxy governments there, but this isn’t always possible if they’ve been overthrown like what just happened in Afghanistan. “In such situations, the US tries to flexibly adapt to changing circumstances (which are oftentimes foreseeable in advance but not always taken seriously by decision makers),” he added.

    A researcher based in Washington, who did not wish to be named, said that the American actions raise concern among allies and partners with regard to dependability. “The way that the withdrawal occurred like abandoning the (Bagram) base at night and similar decisions are evidence of it.” 

    Korybko said the overall impact of the US’ abandonment is that it risks creating a security and strategic void that will inevitably be filled by others, either state actors or non-state ones. “Depending on the outcome, this could either stabilise or destabilise their regions even more. It’ll require closer coordination between relevant stakeholders in each case to ensure that the worst-case scenarios don’t transpire.” 

    Sanjay Pulipaka, a senior fellow at the Delhi Policy Group, said the US ‘interventions’ have not always been unsuccessful like after the Second World War in Europe. “A common factor in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, was the presence of porous borders and constant supply of weapons from an external actor. The ability of an external actor to muddy waters created conditions for failure of the US interventions.”  

    In the case of Iraq, Pulipaka said, the US intervention started with an objective to identify/remove weapons of mass destruction, and nation-building was added to the objectives. Therefore, the absence of clearly defined military objectives contributed to the intervention’s failure. 

    “When it intervened in Afghanistan, the conditions for a successful mission were very much in place. The overthrow of the Taliban received considerable support from people. However, the US, instead of focusing on completing its mission, ventured into Iraq. As a consequence, it conducted two massive interventions in two countries simultaneously.” 

    The senior fellow said other major powers have also faced failure like the Soviets and added that American interventions have not undermined the foundations of the US economy.

    AI cancels Kabul flight, airlines divert routes   New Delhi: An Air India commercial flight scheduled to fly to Afghanistan was cancelled on Monday as its airspace was closed for commercial flights. After the closure of airspace, flights between Delhi and the West, are bound to take a longer alternate routes. An official from the airline said that Air India’s Chicago-Delhi was enroute when the restrictions came into force. The flight was diverted for refuelling before continuing its journey to Delhi. 

    ‘World needs to be united  in supporting Afghans’New Delhi: India appealed the international community to come together for supporting the people of Afghanistan. At the UN, New Delhi added that the situation is of concern. “Afghanistan has already seen enough bloodshed in the past. It is time for the international community to come together unitedly, rising above any partisan interests, to support Afghans in their desire for peace, stability and security in the country,” it said.

  • MEA sets up Afghanistan cell to coordinate repatriation of Sikhs and Hindus

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up an ‘Afghanistan Cell’ to coordinate repatriation and related matters in the backdrop of the Taliban seizing control of the country.

    The announcement by MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on setting up of the Cell came on Monday night hours after he said that India will facilitate the repatriation of Sikhs and Hindus who wish to leave the war-torn country.

    “#MEA has set up a Special Afghanistan Cell to coordinate repatriation and other requests from Afghanistan,” Bagchi said on Twitter.

    He also put out the contact details to reach out to the Cell.

    (Phone number: +919717785379 Email: HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]”[email protected]).

    “We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities.”

    “We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan,” the MEA spokesperson said earlier in the day.

    “There are also a number of Afghans who have been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people to people endeavours. We will stand by them,” he said.

  • Afghan students in Pune worry about safety of kin back home; some seek visa extension

    By PTI

    PUNE: As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban after a bloody offensive, triggering chaos and uncertainty, students from the war-ravaged country studying in Pune are a worried lot as most of them are not able to speak to their family members back home and some are seeking extension of their visas to prolong their stay here.

    According to the Afghan Students Association, Pune, there are about 3,000 students from the neighbouring country who are pursuing education in different institutes in the city.

    One of the key demands of the students from Afghanistan is extension of visas which are expiring soon so that these pupils can stay in India till the situation stabilizes in their home country.

    Wali Rehman Rehmani, president of the Afghan Students Association, Pune, said on Monday that there are about 3,000 students from Afghanistan who are studying in different educational institutes in the city.

    “There are some students who could establish contacts with their family back home, but there are several others who are still not being able to connect with their parents and families,” he said.

    He said the association is trying to help these students to get in touch with their families back home.

    Rehmani said there are some students whose visas will expire soon.

    “We are urging the Indian government to extend their visas till the situation improves back home,” he said.

    Abba Oumar, president of the Federation of International Students Association (FISA), said in these difficult times, “We are trying to extend all possible support to fellow Afghan students.”

    Shukrullah Ahamadi (25), who is pursuing an MBA from a private university, said he has not spoken to his family in Afghanistan for the last three days, a period which saw lightning advance by Taliban fighters towards Kabul.

    “The situation back home is terrifying and scary. We never imagined such kind of a situation. In my hometown in Logar province, which is hardly 50km from Kabul, the Internet and telephone services are completely shut and I am not able to connect with my family,” he said.

    Ahamadi, whose immediate family comprises his mother and three elder brothers, had last gone to his hometown in 2018.

    He said the Indian government should extend the visas of students whose stay is coming to an end soon as going back to Afghanistan as this juncture is not safe.

    “If they go there, they will not be safe. Though they are away from their families, at least they are safe here,” Ahamadi added.

    Farzana, a third-year management student at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, said she is very concerned about the safety of her family back home.

    “As the situation is worsening in the country, I am more concerned about my family. The last time I spoke to them, I came to know that they were not able to even withdraw money from the bank,” she added.

    Sanjay Nahar, founder-president of NGO Sarhad, said in order to support the Afghan students, they have started a helpline (8007066900) and urged them to contact his organisation if they need help.

    The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

    There were chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban’s takeover.

  • Will stand by our Afghan partners; take all steps for safety of Indians, says MEA as ITBP to guard diplomats

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Monday said it will “stand by” its Afghan partners, take all steps for the security of Indians and its interests in Afghanistan and facilitate the repatriation of Sikhs and Hindus who wish to leave the war-torn country, in its first reaction following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban.

    As Kabul fell to the Taliban, India’s defence top brass, the foreign policy establishment and senior intelligence officials reviewed the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan and their possible ramifications for New Delhi as well as the region in a series of meetings on Monday.

    In a related development, an Indian Air Force heavy-lift transport aircraft that had left for Afghanistan late last night and reached that country using Iranian airspace returned from Kabul to India with a number of Indians, people familiar with the developments said.

    However, there was no official confirmation on it.

    External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels and that suspension of commercial operations at Kabul airport has forced a pause in India’s repatriation efforts.

    Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul on Sunday evening hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left for an unknown destination, paving the way for the takeover of the capital as well as the country.

    “The security situation in Kabul has deteriorated significantly in the last few days. It is changing rapidly even as we speak. The Government of India has been closely monitoring all developments in Afghanistan,” he said.

    Bagchi was replying to media queries on the situation in Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban.

    “We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan,” the MEA spokesperson said.

    “There are also a number of Afghans who have been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people to people endeavours. We will stand by them,” he said.

    Bagchi said India is waiting for the resumption of flights to restart the repatriation process.

    “Commercial operations from Kabul airport have been suspended today. This has forced a pause in our repatriation efforts. We are awaiting the resumption of flights to restart the process,” he said.

    “The situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels. The Government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan,” Bagchi added.

    The MEA spokesperson also referred to periodic advisories issued by the Indian embassy in Kabul for the safety and security of Indian nationals in that country, including calling for their immediate return to India.

    “We had circulated emergency contact numbers and had also been extending assistance to community members. We are aware that there are still some Indian nationals in Afghanistan who wish to return and we are in touch with them,” he said.

    India along with many other countries was surprised at the lightning advances made by the Taliban across Afghanistan in capturing power after the US began pulling out its troops on May 1 from the country, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

    “Definitely, we did not expect Kabul to fall so soon,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.

    People cited above said India will issue visas to all the Afghan nationals who were partnering it in various developmental projects and activities.

    They said India was planning to send another C-17 aircraft to Afghanistan on Monday as part of the evacuation mission.

    Thousands of desperate people converged at the Kabul international airport on Monday in hopes of getting on an evacuation flight and leave the country.

    The airport has already been shut for commercial flights and subsequently, the US military has taken control of the airport security to facilitate the evacuation of foreign diplomats and citizens.

    India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan and it has invested nearly USD 3 billion in carrying out nearly 500 projects across that country.

    The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is largely seen as a setback for India as the militant outfit has been strongly backed by Pakistan’s military.

    Meanwhile, an armed contingent of paramilitary force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is “actively” securing the diplomatic staff of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul and will be there “till required”, officials said on Monday as the Taliban took over the country.

    The officials said the force personnel are among the last of the diplomatic staff of the embassy who are present in the country.

    The security unit of the ITBP is actively securing the embassy staffers.

    They will carry out their duties till it is required, the officials said.

    They refused to divulge the strength of the people and the armed security personnel owing to the sensitivity of the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan.

    The ITBP was first deployed to secure the premises of the India embassy in Kabul, diplomats and staffers in November, 2002.

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

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

    In its first reaction to the developments in Afghanistan, India on Monday said it is constantly monitoring the situation and will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of its nationals as well as its interests in that country.

    “The situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels. The government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

    Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul on Sunday evening, hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left for an unknown destination, paving the way for the takeover of the capital as well as the country.

    “The security situation in Kabul has deteriorated significantly in the last few days. It is changing rapidly even as we speak,” Bagchi said.

    Many Hindus and Sikhs have taken refuge in Kabul’s Karte Parwan gurdwara after Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban, DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed on Monday.

    The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief said he was in touch with the president of the Gurdwara Committee of Kabul regarding the safety of minorities, including Hindus and Sikhs in that country.

    “I am in constant touch with the president of Gurdwara Committee of Kabul and the Sangat who have told me that 320 plus people, including 50 Hindus and 270 plus Sikhs, have taken refuge in Karte Parwan gurdwara in Kabul in wake of recent developments.

    “Taliban leaders have met them and assured them of their safety. We are hopeful that Hindus and Sikhs would be able to live a safe and secure life despite political and military changes happening in Afghanistan,” Sirsa said.

    Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday for an unknown destination, paving way for a bloodless takeover of the capital city but triggering fear, chaos and uncertainty among its residents.

    On Monday, thousands of desperate people converged at the Kabul International Airport in hopes of getting on an evacuation flight and leaving the country.