News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban

  • India committed to safe return of its nationals from Afghanistan, says Union Minister Scindia

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Indian government is committed to the safe returns of its nationals from Afghanistan, said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, as an Air India flight with 87 Indians evacuees from Kabul landed here on Sunday, August 22, 2021, via Tajikistan.

    “From Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan @airindiain The aircraft reached New Delhi carrying 87 Indians. Under the guidance of strong-willed prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian government is committed to ensuring the safe return of Indian nationals,” Scindia tweeted.

    The flight ferrying 87 Indians from Afghanistan’s Kabul landed in Delhi early on Sunday. The Indians were taken to Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on board a transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday.

    ALSO READ: India brings back close to 400 people in three flights

    The minister also retweeted a video in which passengers being evacuated raised “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as the flight lifted off from Dushanbe airport.

    India has so far evacuated around 300 people from Afghanistan including its ambassador and all other diplomats.

    It has been evacuating its citizens along the Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Qatar routes

    India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan, government sources told ANI.

    The permission was granted by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15.

    People in Afghanistan have been rushing to leave the country after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country’s government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

    The MEA has said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. The MEA said that the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport. 

  • Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut likens India’s partition to situation in Afghanistan

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday likened India’s partition to the present situation in Afghanistan and said it reminds people of the pain of destruction of a country’s existence and sovereignty.

    In his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Raut also said if Nathuram Godse had killed Jinnah, “who was responsible for creating Pakistan”, instead of Mahatma Gandhi, the partition could have been avoided and there would have been no need for observing August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.

    “The situation in Afghanistan reminds us of what is the pain of destruction of a country’s existence and sovereignty,” the Marathi daily’s executive editor said. Raut compared India’s partition to the current situation in Afghanistan where, he said, its troops “ran away”.

    “How can the pain of partition be eased unless the part which was broken away is included back? There will be no peace of mind. Even though we feel an ‘Akhand Hindustan’ should happen, it doesn’t look possible. But, hope is eternal. If PM Narendra Modi wants an ‘Akhand Hindustan, he is welcome. He should also speak about what he plans to do about 11 crore Muslims from Pakistan,” he said.

    The advocates of ‘Akhand Hindustan’ had accepted the idea of the Muslim League and two-nation theory and did not fight against it, he said while quoting Marathi writer Narhar Kurundkar on the issue. Raut said Mahatma Gandhi was not in active politics when a system of separate Muslim electorate was introduced by the British.

    Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru abolished the system of separate Muslim electorate and special perks for them when India gained freedom, said the Sena leader, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra.

    He also said Muslim leaders had left the Congress when Gandhi refused their unreasonable demands.

  • Afghanistan crisis: India evacuates 168 people from Kabul in IAF’s transport aircraft

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Sunday evacuated 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a military transport aircraft of the IAF amid the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital city following its takeover by the Taliban a week back.

    Another group of 87 Indians and two Nepalese nationals who were flown in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on Saturday, arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, people familiar with the development said.

    They were brought back in a special Air India flight from Dushanbe, they said.

    Separately, a group of 135 Indians, who were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Doha in the last few days by the US and NATO aircraft, also returned to India.

    ALSO READ | Andhra govt sets up helpdesk for stranded citizens

    It is learnt that the Indians evacuated to Doha from Kabul were employees of a number of foreign companies that were operating in Afghanistan.

    “Evacuation continues!IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

    It is learnt that a number of prominent Sikh leaders are on board the flight.

    “Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan!AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. Assisted and supported by our Embassy @IndEmbDushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow,” Bagchi tweeted at around 1:20 am.

    Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan!AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated.Assisted and supported by our Embassy @IndEmbDushanbe.More evacuation flights to follow. pic.twitter.com/YMCuJQ7595
    — Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 21, 2021

    Evacuation continues!IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul. pic.twitter.com/ysACxClVdX
    — Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 22, 2021
    India evacuated 200 people including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.

    The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.

    The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.

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

    COLUMN | Exit from Kabul: America’s bungle, India’s burden

    The mission to evacuate close to 200 Indians was accomplished with support from the US Following the evacuation, the MEA said the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital.

    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 the special Afghanistan cell.

    As per a rough estimate earlier, the number of Indians stranded in Afghanistan could be around 400 and India has been looking at ways to evacuate them including by coordinating with the US and other friendly countries.

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  • Evacuation from Afghanistan: Around 300 Indians likely to be brought back by Sunday

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Around 300 Indian nationals are expected to be brought back home from Afghanistan by Sunday as part of India’s evacuation mission in view of the deteriorating security situation in Afghan capital Kabul, people familiar with the development said.

    Over 80 Indians were on Saturday taken to Tajikistan capital Dushanbe from Kabul on board a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force and the group will be brought back to Delhi in a special Air India flight from the central Asian city early on Sunday, they said.

    Close to 100 Indians are likely to be brought back to India from Kabul in an Indian Air Force heavy-lift aircraft by Sunday, they added.

    Separately, another group of over 90 Indians, most of whom are employees of a number of foreign companies that were operating in Afghanistan, were flown in to Doha by US and NATO aircraft.

    These people are also set to be brought back home on Sunday, the people cited above said.

    The total number of Indians to be evacuated on Sunday is around 300, they said.

    India has already evacuated 200 people including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF after the Taliban seized control of Kabul last Sunday.

    The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.

    The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people, including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.

    ALSO READ | India allowed to operate two flights daily to evacuate citizens from Kabul; Jaishankar reaches out to German counterpart

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

    The mission to evacuate close to 200 Indians was accomplished with support from the US.

    Following the evacuation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital.

    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 Indians as well as their employers to urgently share the relevant details with the special Afghanistan cell.

    According to a rough estimate earlier, the number of Indians stranded in Afghanistan could be around 400 and India has been looking at ways to evacuate them including by coordinating with the US and other friendly countries.

    Meanwhile, Pentagon said that about 3,800 civilians have been evacuated from Afghanistan over the past day, amid widespread logistical challenges and backlogs at waystations in the Middle East and Europe.

    Security threats slowed the progress of Americans and others through the gates at Kabul airport, as thousands desperately try to get on flights out of the country.

    The Pentagon said that six U.S. military C-17 aircraft and 32 charter flights departed Kabul airport over the past 24 hours.

    The military planes carried just 1,600 of those people.

    Army Maj.Gen. Hank Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, told Pentagon reporters on Saturday that of the 17,000 people evacuated since Aug.15, just 2,500 have been Americans.

    ALSO READ | ‘We hope they mean what they say’: PM Boris Johnson says UK will work with Taliban if necessary

    U.S. officials have estimated there are as many as 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan, but acknowledge they don’t have solid numbers.

    The evacuations have been hampered by screening and logistical strains at waystations such as al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hit maximum capacity.

    U.S. officials said they have limited numbers of military and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol screeners at the transit points, and they are struggling to work through glitches in the vetting systems.

    Taylor said that the Kabul airport remains open, and that Americans continue to be processed if they get to the gates.

    ALSO READ | Taliban bans co-education in Afghanistan’s Herat province: Report

    He and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to discuss security problems in any detail, but said the threat picture changes by the hour.

    “We know that we’re fighting against both time and space,” Kirby said.

    “That’s the race we’re in right now.”

  • Mehbooba refers to Afghanistan situation to bat for J&K special status, draws flak

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday asked the Centre to take a lesson out of Afghanistan where the Taliban seized power and made the US flee, and urged the government to hold dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir and return its special status which was revoked in 2019.

    Mehbooba’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from the BJP which accused her of indulging in “politics of hatred” after losing ground in the Union Territory and said anyone who conspires against India will be destroyed.

    Referring to the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, the former chief minister warned the Centre “to not test us” and asked the government to “mend its ways, understand the situation, and see what is happening in your neighbourhood.”

    “America, a superpower, had to pack their bags and flee. You (the Centre) still have the opportunity to start a dialogue process in J-K like (former PM) Vajpayee had and mend your mistake of snatching the J-K’s identity illegally and unconstitutionally and splitting of J-K, otherwise it will be too late,” she said, referring to the decisions of August 5, 2019.

    Addressing her party workers in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, Mehbooba also appealed to the youth not to pick up arms, saying the issue cannot be resolved with guns or stones.

    “The Government of India should return what it has snatched from us and address the Kashmir issue according to the wishes and aspirations of the people of J-K,” she said.

    Citing the example of Afghanistan, the PDP president said the issues cannot be resolved by guns or stones.

    “The Taliban are now controlling Afghanistan and they made the US to flee. But, right now, they are saying the gun will not do. The whole world is watching them, how they will behave, whether they will do the same strictness or behave well with the people,” she said.

    Mehbooba said there was a lesson for the people of J-K in the situation in Afghanistan.

    “I request the youth to resist by staying alive and do not lose your lives. When you lose your lives, everything is over. The people at the other end do not understand that the youth of Kashmir should not sacrifice their lives. They are not bothered. So, I appeal to all the youngsters not to pick up guns or stones. If you cannot speak with your tongue, then remember the wounds in your heart,” she said.

    She said America talked to the Taliban and the previous governments in New Delhi, including the BJP government led by A B Vajpayee, also talked to militants in J-K and “a time will come when they will bend on their knees and ask us what we want”.

    “The US talked to the Taliban, India talked to Pakistan and a ceasefire happened. There is no other option but to talk. Whatever is happening behind the doors, God willing, a day will come and they will have to talk to everyone, be it the people of J-K or the people across as Kashmir issue is alive,” she said.

    Saying that India is an idea of various religions, diversities and ethnicities, Mehbooba said the Congress party saved the country and kept it together and accused the BJP of trying to divide it.

    “What has been happening since the last five-seven years, it seems the BJP is trying to split this country and divide the people in the name of religion,” she said.

    Referring to Jammu and Kashmir’s accession with the Union of India, the PDP president said had the BJP been in power then, J-K might not have joined the country.

    “The accession did not take place because of the BJP. It happened when Jawaharlal Nehru was in power, who was secular and democratic and who believed in brotherhood. He assured the people of J-K, which was a Muslim majority, of a special status to accede to a Hindu majority India.”

    “The Congress had joined J-K with India on these conditions. Had the BJP been there, then I do not think J-K would have been a part of this country,” she said.

    On the criticism that she did not talk about Article 370 at a virtual meet of 19 opposition parties called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday, Mehbooba said she talked about the issue and noted that it was the duty of the Congress to safeguard the people of J-K and see their situation and understand difficulties.

    Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina lashed out at Mehbooba for her remarks, and said she “is under some misconception. India is a powerful country and our Prime Minister is Narendra Modi unlike (US president) Joe Biden who withdrew from Afghanistan. Whether it is the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT, JeM, or Hizbul” anyone who conspires against India will be destroyed.”

    “The PDP president has committed a great sin against the country. People of Jammu and Kashmir are patriots who love their nation and are keeping the national flag flying high. They are helping the police, Army and paramilitary forces in combating terrorism,” he said.

    He further claimed that Mufti has lost ground in Jammu and Kashmir and the people have rejected her.

    “Now, she is remembering the Taliban which has destroyed Afghanistan, killed innocent women and children, and trampling on the rights of people, including journalists and sportspersons,” Raina said.

    Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill also condemned her remarks.

    “Mehbooba Mufti quoted speech is highly condemnable & provocative . Rather than preaching peace, exposing Govt on policy issues if your politics requires you to threaten the establishment with violent consequences then clearly you are steering to wrong path-Sad & Shameful,” Shergill said.

  • India allowed to operate two flights daily to evacuate citizens from Kabul; Jaishankar reaches out to German counterpart

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan, government sources told ANI.

    The permission has been granted by the American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15.

    Two Indian aircraft would be permitted to operate from the Kabul airport which is under the control of American security forces, government sources told ANI.

    A total of 25 flights are being operated by them as they, at present, focusing on evacuating their citizens, weaponry and equipment.

    More than 300 Indian nationals have to be taken out of Kabul which is now under the Taliban’s control. India is airlifting its citizens through Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Qatar.

    A flight of Air India is expected to land in India shortly with around 90 passengers. The Indian passengers were apparently taken out from Kabul in a C130J aircraft.

    The first aircraft of India was allowed to operate from Kabul after National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval interacted with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan to facilitate the movement of Indian officials inside the American security zone at the airport.

    ALSO READ | ‘We hope they mean what they say’: PM Boris Johnson says UK will work with Taliban if necessary

    The Indian Air Force has already evacuated around 180 passengers including its ambassador to Afghanistan and all other diplomats.

    On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and instructed all concerned officials to undertake all necessary measures to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan in the coming days.

    Meanwhile, the MEA has said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. The MEA said that the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

    Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. The Indian government has been closely monitoring all developments in Afghanistan.

    A group of Indian nationals is learnt to have been stopped and taken to an unknown location near the Kabul airport on Saturday for questioning and verification of travel documents, triggering some confusion and concerns in India.

    These Indians were learnt to have been released subsequently.

    People tracking the developments in Kabul said there were no specific reports of any harm to Indians in Kabul so far.

    The Indians were among 150 people who were heading towards the Kabul airport when they were stopped by Taliban fighters, according to Afghan media reports.

    Kabul Now news portal initially reported that the group was “abducted” by the Taliban fighters but it later updated the report saying all the people were released and on their way back to the Kabul airport.

    The people cited above said the Indians were taken away for questioning and it is not unusual under the current circumstances.

    There was no immediate official comment or reaction on the matter.

    Meanwhile, India on Saturday evacuated around 80 Indian nationals from Kabul by a transport military aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

    The aircraft landed at Dushanbe in Tajikistan after evacuating the Indians from Kabul, they said, adding it is expected to arrive at Hindon airbase near Delhi in the evening.

    India has already evacuated 200 people including the ambassador and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF after the Taliban seized control of Kabul on Sunday.

    The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.

    The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday spoke to his German counterpart Heiko Maas on the latest developments in Afghanistan and challenges relating to emergency evacuation from Kabul.

    “Appreciate the call from Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas of Germany. Discussed the evacuation challenges in Afghanistan and the policy implications of the changes there,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    India has been in touch with the US, the UK and a number of other leading powers on the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban on Sunday evening.

    Several countries including India have been facing difficulties in evacuating people from Kabul in view of chaos around the airport in the Afghan capital following the Taliban takeover.

    India on Saturday evacuated around 80 Indian nationals from Kabul by a transport military aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

    ALSO READ | Taliban bans co-education in Afghanistan’s Herat province: Report

    The aircraft landed at Dushanbe in Tajikistan after evacuating the Indians from Kabul.

    By Tuesday, India had evacuated 200 people, including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul, in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF.

    The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.

    The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.

    Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai meet Taliban acting Kabul governor, US-allied Afghan force personnel being hunted

    Abdullah Abdullah, a senior leader of the ousted Afghan government, and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai met ‘so-called’ acting Taliban governor of Kabul, Abdul Rahman Mansour, on Saturday. They discussed the priority of protecting the lives, property and dignity of Kabul citizens.

    Abdullah told the Taliban’s acting Kabul governor that “In order to return to normality in the capital Kabul, it is imperative that citizens…feel safe and secure,” according to a statement by Abdullah Abdullah’s office.

    The acting governor pledged to “do everything possible for the security of the people of Kabul,” Abdullah’s office said.

    Afghanistan is witnessing its worst-ever crisis in decades as the Taliban’s control has forced people to flee the nation in afraid of their atrocities. The country has been marred by violence for several years and the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul has exacerbated the crisis.

    Afghans have flocked to the Kabul airport in order to flee the Taliban. Terrorists on the streets of Kabul are reportedly preventing people from entering the airport using force.

    Several reports of Taliban violence have emerged in recent days. This comes despite the Taliban have claimed they have reformed and vowed to respect the rights of women and minorities.

    The Taliban have been attempting to convince the world that they will sever ties with terror groups like al-Qaeda after they are back in power in Afghanistan after 20 years and needs the world’s recognition and approbation, a media report said.

    ALSO READ | IAF flight evacuates over 85 Indians from Kabul amid Taliban crisis

    The Taliban’s long history of association with terror groups and their family-based relations with terrorists of other groups have raised severe questions about the Taliban’s commitment during the Doha agreement that they would not provide safe heavens to any terrorist in Afghanistan.

    While thousands of Afghan security force members have managed to flee from Afghanistan to other countries such as Iran and Uzbekistan as the Taliban seized the country but tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers and commandos are still on the run and being hunted by the terror group.

    Matthew Rosenberg writing in The New York Times said that over the past few weeks columns of Afghan soldiers in armoured vehicles and pickup trucks sped through the desert to reach Iran and military pilots flew low and fast to the safety of Uzbekistan’s mountains.

    “Others managed to negotiate surrenders and went back to their homes — and some kept their weapons and joined the winning side,” he said further in the NYT.

    Tens of thousands of other Afghan soldiers, commandos and spies have been left behind. They are now on the run, hiding and hunted by the Taliban, he wrote .

    “There’s no way out,” the media outlet reported qouting Farid, an Afghan commando. He added that he was hiding in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, trapped after the regular army units surrendered around him. “I am praying to be saved.”

    Reports said that Taliban have been searching for people who they believe worked with and fought alongside United States and NATO forces.

    The New York Times reported that said that there is no such data that how many Afghan soldiers and security officials are on the run. Dozens of Afghan pilots escaped to Uzbekistan, where 22 planes and 24 helicopters carrying nearly 600 men arrived on Sunday, according to Uzbek officials; an unknown number made it to Iran, former Afghan officials said.

    ALSO READ | Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul for talks on setting up govt: Official

    A number of former government officials have disappeared in the country including a provincial Governor and police personnel, Tolo News reported citing the families of missing officials.

    On contrary, Taliban spokesman had informed that the group has forgiven people who had worked in the military or civilian sector with the previous government.

    Efforts are being made to maintain stability in Afghanistan. However, people are rushing to the airport to flee the nation as they are afraid of the terror group’s brutal atrocities in the nation.

    Countries from all across the world have been evacuating their citizens fastly as Afghanistan’s future is hanging in balance. The US State Department on Thursday said that it has airlifted more than 7,000 evacuees since Saturday.

    The Taliban leaders are discussing future government plans in Afghanistan and are in touch with intra-Afghan parties.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Leaving Afghanistan: An Indian’s tale of fear, gloom and disguise plan

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: When the New Delhi-bound Kam Airlines flight finally took off from Kabul airport hours before the Taliban entered the city on August 15, Subrata, an Indian working in a senior position of an International NGO (INGO) posted in Afghanistan, sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

    Subrata had been able to board the flight after travelling two hours in his car to travel the 12 km distance between his lodging and the Hamid Karzai International Airport as the road was clogged with vehicles even early in the morning.

    To top it all, his flight was stopped from taking off for over an hour almost at the edge of the runway, as US Air Force planes were landing to evacuate nationals of that country, sparking fears of imminent Taliban entry into the city.

    Hours earlier, Subrata, who prefers to go by his first name, spent a tense and sleepless night planning his disguise to make it to the airport without any trouble.

    “I contemplated travelling to the airport dressed as an Afghan sporting the customary long beard and turban or a deaf and mute person.

    I was afraid that I might be held by the Taliban in the check posts they might have put up on the road,” he told PTI over the phone from Delhi.

    Subrata even tried out his disguises before discarding each of them and deciding to travel in his normal clothes.

    There were Indians, Europeans and Africans besides people from Afghanistan in the plane who were leaving the strife-torn picturesque country.

    Afghan stewards of the plane, however, were sceptical about their return.

    “I heard a steward whispering in Pashto: God knows how and when we will return to Kabul’,” said Subrata.

    On the night before he took the flight, Subrata realised that guns alone cannot ensure security and information is the strongest defence.

    “I had no information that night whether the Taliban had already entered the city. Nobody goes out in the night for fear of being attacked and killed. And there were looters.”

    “I left my lodging at dawn to travel the 12 km distance to the airport and reached it at around 6.15 am. The flight was scheduled to depart at 10.45 am,” Subrata, who had been posted in Afghanistan since 2015, said.

    He had advanced his flight ticket to Delhi, where his family stays, after the security officer of his organisation told him that the Taliban were expected to enter Kabul soon and he should “just leave”.

    Subrata had been hesitating as he, like many of his counterparts in other INGOs, was sure that Kabul will not fall before Muharram on August 20.

    It turned out later that his was the second last commercial flight to leave Afghanistan for India.

    “The situation in Kabul had become tense since August 13 as the Taliban had captured Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz and other provinces one by one by then. I think even the Taliban themselves did not expect that these provinces would fall so fast,” said Subrata, who has been posted in that country since 2015.

    With the memory of Taliban torture during its rule two decades ago still fresh in their mind, the people of Afghanistan had been living in fear since the US peace deal with the group in Doha in February 2020.

    The pact had drawn up plans for withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from the terrorist outfit.

    Subrata said that many Afghan people, both men and women – had requested him to help them find refuge in Delhi.

    “I did not want to return home before August 18 as I had reached Kabul only a week back and had a lot of work left. But the scenario was changing fast. I was told that banks had downed shutters saying they had no money left,” he said.

    Rumours that fresh passports were not being issued anymore fanned the fear among the people manifold.

    Subrata could not contact the Indian embassy and to add to his fears, he was told that there were blasts at Pul-e-charkhi jail in Kabul, which is the largest prison in Afghanistan, allegedly to liberate jailed members of the Taliban.

    “I saw the narrow streets of Kabul chock-a-block with cars of internally displaced people who had come with their families to the city from neighbouring areas thinking it would not fall. The parks were occupied by these hapless people who had nowhere else to go,” he said.

    They had been coming for the past one month but the situation had turned chaotic on August 14 as the roads were completely blocked, he said.

    Subrata also recounted his conversation with a kiosk owner at the airport from whom he used to buy biscuits and cakes during his frequent travels.

    “The man looked very sad. He told me: ‘Please remember that Afghanistan is a beautiful country but has no luck as far as lasting peace is concerned’,” Subrata said.

    There was an air of desperation, a feeling of helplessness, arising out of the fear of an uncertain future.

    “People are tired of the constant insecurity and want to leave the country. Their agony is increased manifold by the frequent attacks of armed looters who find them easy prey and do not hesitate to kill if faced with resistance,” he said.

    The losses due to the unprecedented drought and the havoc wreaked by COVID-19 appear to have taken a back seat in the mind of the people of Afghanistan, Subrata said.

    Most of them wish to relocate to either the US or India as they perceive these countries as peaceful and stable, he said.

    Asked whether he would like to return to Afghanistan, Subrata said he would, as there is a lot of work left to be done.

    “The INGOs are into the development work in the country in a big way. They are building roads, bridges, hospitals which the government cannot,” he said.

  • Taliban maligning Islam through terror activities: Ajmer Dargah spiritual head Syed Jainul Abedin

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Spiritual head of the Ajmer Dargah Syed Jainul Abedin on Saturday said the Taliban is maligning Islam through terror activities in the name of the “shariyat”. He said that restrictions on women and killings in the name of the Islamic law cannot be supported and are a crime in Islam.

    Terror and dictatorial activities of the Taliban are promoting hatred towards Islam in the world, the spiritual head of the Ajmer shrine said. “The Taliban is maligning Islam by terror activities in the name of shariyat (Islamic law),” Abedin said in a statement referring to attacks by the Taliban after capturing Afghanistan.

    He said that Afghanistan has fallen into the hands of brutal Taliban and the rule of destruction, restrictions on women and killings have started in this country.

    Such deeds in the name of “shariyat” are a crime in Islam and cannot be supported, he said, adding that the Taliban has interpreted the law differently to fulfil its agenda of terrorism and governance as per their agenda.

    He said people should always give a priority to the national interest. The first duty should be to save our country, maintain unity and peace and then think about ourselves, he added. “I strongly condemn those who support and welcome the illegal authority of the Taliban and their terrorist ideology,” he said.

    He further said, “The Muslim of India, being a peaceful citizen, does not support and welcome ideology of the Taliban, which is against the basic teachings of Islam.”

  • ‘Need to step up Kashmir outreach efforts amid rise of Taliban’: Ex-Army chief

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Former Army chief Gen Shankar Roychowdhury said the government needs to step up outreach in Kashmir and reassure people there that India will continue to be a secular democracy as the Taliban victory in Afghanistan is likely to see a renewed offensive by Pakistan-based militants.

    The retired General, who had commanded 16 corps in Kashmir at the height of militancy in that state in early 1990s, and became Army chief later in the same decade when Taliban last came to rule over Kabul, believes that Pakistan, re-enforced by the recent Taliban victory, “will make a fresh bid on Kashmir” using groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed.

    He also said that India needs to reach out to both former Afghan government forces rallying around Ahmad Massoud, son of the late legendary anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, in Panjshir Valley, as well as to factions within the Taliban which are friendlier to India.

    “We have to step up our outreach to Kashmiris, we also have to re-assure them that India will continue to be a secular democracy,” General Roychowdhury who currently heads a strategic think tank Research Centre for Eastern and Northeastern Studies, told PTI in an interview.

    The central government had scrapped Article 370 and turned Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh into two separate union territories from being a single state, while placing most Kashmiri leaders under detention.

    Since then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to reach out and hold talks with Kashmir’s political leaders earlier this year.

    “We need to understand that the victory in Afghanistan is being seen (by terror groups) as a Pakistani victory and an Indian defeat”.

    “We have to organise ourselves for a renewed offensive by elements like the JeM,” said Gen Roychowdhury, a veteran of the 1965 and 1971 wars besides counter-insurgency operations within the country.

    “We have to be prepared for Pakistani intentions (covert operations) supported by radical elements here,” he added.

    During the period Taliban rode to power in the mid-1990s, India steadfastly refused to do business with the regime which it saw as brutal proxy for Pakistan’s military.

    It continued to support the remnants of the Afghan government and later the Northern Alliance, aiding them with training and supplies.

    The 1999 hijacking of Indian airlines’ jetliner to Kabul by four Pakistani terrorists, was made possible with the cooperation of the Taliban regime.

    India exchanged three top terrorists, who included Maulana Masood Azhar, founder of JeM, for passengers and crew of that aircraft.

    A study by French think-tank Centre d’ analyse du terrorisme (Centre for Analysis of Terrorism) published last week warned of the renewed possibility of “more operational coordination between Pakistan-supported groups like the Lashkar e Toiba and JeM (on the one hand) and the Taliban.”

    The former Army chief said, “We should try and help the son of Ahmad Shah Masood (guerrilla leader nicknamed Lion of Panjshir). The non-Pashtun minorities such as Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras have had good relations with us”.

    Taliban too has many factions and it should not be difficult to reach out to them.

    General Roychowdhury also said India’s role in Afghanistan needs to be to give training, relief materials and above all refuge to those who needed it.

    “People of Afghanistan remain our friends and we must be willing to give them refuge,” he said.

    However, at the same time, there is need to beef up security and create “fortress India” to safeguard against any militant operations against India.

    The former Army chief said talk of sending Indian troops to beef up US and allied troops in holding Afghanistan which had cropped up in the last two decades “was unwise as we (Indian Army) had no means to reinforce or supply them except by air and that route was fraught with grave danger.”

    He also warned that while Prime Minister Modi and Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina were on good terms, opposition forces in Bangladesh which included “the entire radical set-up” would be re-invigorated by the Taliban victory and “may not let this chance slip by.”

    There has been disquiet in India’s security community about the possibility of Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh drawing upon released Bangladeshi Taliban fighters and increasing their activities in that country and in bordering Indian states.

    The retired general also said, “We need to reach out to like-minded people in this sub-continent to oppose the spread of the ideology associated with the Taliban.”

  • 3 Islamic clerics, MBBS student among 14 arrested in Assam for supporting Taliban

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Assam Police arrested 14 people, including an MBBS student, for supporting the Taliban through social media.

    The persons were arrested from Kamrup, Darrang, Barpeta, Dhubri, Hailakandi, Cachar, Karimganj, South Salmara, Goalpara, and Hojai districts.

    The police said the accused had posted “adverse/objectionable” comments on social media supporting the Taliban. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Information Technology Act, and CrPC.

    #assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that are harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice
    — Violet Baruah IPS (@violet_baruah) August 21, 2021

    The arrests were made since Friday night. Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    ALSO READ | Sedition case against Samajwadi Party MP, two others over pro-Taliban remarks

    Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    @assampolice has arrested 14 persons for social media posts regarding Taliban activities that have attracted provisions of law of the land.People are advised to be careful in posts/likes etc on social media platforms to avoid penal action @CMOfficeAssam @DGPAssamPolice @HMOIndia pic.twitter.com/iQaKTXP74x
    — GP Singh (@gpsinghips) August 21, 2021
    Deputy Inspector General of Police Violet Baruah tweeted: “#assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that is harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons.”

    She appealed to the people to inform the police if they come across any objectionable posts on social media.