Exclusive | India scrambling to wrap up Afghanistan evacuation before August 31 deadline

Senior people in the know at the Ministry of External Affairs said that all evacuation efforts from Afghanistan have to end by August 28 as the international air bridge and evacuation operation currently being run by the US will end on August 31.

“The window of evacuation remains tight. The US is expected to prioritise the removal of its troops and military assets in the last three days. It is obvious that getting planes in and out then will become difficult as the US has more than 6,000 troops still stationed there,” a senior official said.

According to reports, India has been permitted two flights per day from Kabul airport. As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees and foreign nationals try to flee the war-torn country, India continues to jostle with other nations to reserve landing and take-off slots at the heavily congested Kabul airport.

Sources said that 2-3 flights are yet to come in. On Thursday morning (August 26), MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said an Indian Air Force flight with 24 Indian and 11 Nepalese evacuees from Kabul was on its way to Delhi.
The government has not clarified how many Indian nationals are still stuck in Afghanistan. But unofficial estimates suggest at least 150 people still remain.

Afghan Sikhs and Hindus

Most of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus left in the country are currently holed up in the Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul. Local media reports indicate that around 200 Afghan Sikhs and a few Hindus are left at the Gurudwara, many being women, children and elderly people.

On August 23, around 44 people from the group and three copies of the holy Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib were flown to neighbouring Tajikistan by a military plane. They have subsequently reached India.

Many of those left behind have expressed shock and anger at their representatives — Afghan MPs Anarkali Kaur Honaryar and Narinder Singh Khalsa — leaving on an evacuation flight to New Delhi without informing the group.

The MEA, meanwhile, has remained silent on whether India will allow in other Afghan refugees who have applied for and been cleared under the government’s refugee visa programme.

Former diplomats have told Moneycontrol that a mix of humanitarian and strategic responses is needed. However, the situation on the ground has made India more realistic, a senior official said. “The government’s primary obligation remains to Indian nationals and minorities in Afghanistan. After they have been pulled out, others can come. But the problem is that by then the August 31 deadline will arrive,” he said.

Afghan Refugees

The government has not clarified whether any of the flights will be used to transport Afghan nationals who want to come to India as refugees.

While the government has introduced an online visa process for refugees, it hasn’t clarified how many India will airlift.

Last week, the government introduced a new electronic visa category called the ’e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’, which has to be applied for online and will be valid for six months. The applications are being processed by a special cell for Afghanistan operating 24x7 inside the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. The visa is provided on a discretionary basis.

However, on August 25, India cancelled all visas issued to Afghans who are currently not in India, with immediate effect. The MEA said all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on the X-Misc visa. But many refugees have complained that it is an arduous process, made even tougher by the fact that mobile and internet connectivity in Kabul remains spotty at best.

Sources at the MEA confirm that as of August 25, nearly 800 people have been flown to India from Afghanistan since the latest Taliban takeover of the country began. They include diplomats, embassy workers, media personnel and Afghan refugees. However, specific numbers are not available for Afghan refugees.

Flights till now

16 Aug: 129 Indians & Afghan citizens evacuated from Kabul
17 Aug: 140 Indians, including 120 Embassy staff and diplomats evacuated from Kabul
20 Aug: 1st-batch of 146 Indians evacuated via Doha, Qatar
22 Aug: 2nd-batch of 146 Indians evacuated via Doha, Qatar
22 Aug: IAF plane carrying 168 passengers, including 107 Indians, 23 Afghan Sikhs & Hindus from Kabul
22 Aug: 87 Indians, 2 Nepalese evacuated via Dushanbe, Tajikistan
24 Aug: 78 people including 25 Indians, 44 Afghan Sikhs evacuated via Dushanbe, Tajikistan
25 Aug: IAF plane carrying 180 Indians and Afghan citizens expected to be evacuated from Kabul
26 Aug: 44 Indians, 11 Nepalese evacuated from Kabul

Source: MEA​