Govt calls all-party meet on Af as more evacuated
Jaishankar to brief leaders on Afghan developments, IAF flies in 75 people from Kabul
NEW DELHI/KABUL: The Union government will brief parliamentary leaders of various political parties on August 26 on the developments in Afghanistan, including its evacuation mission as well as its assessment of the situation in the war-torn country, officials said on Monday.
The development came on a day when the Indian government evacuated 75 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, from Afghanistan on an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane, people coordinating the evacuation efforts said.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said external affairs minister S Jaishankar will hold a physical briefing at 11 am on Thursday in the Parliament House Annexe.
“Floor Leaders of Political Parties would be briefed by EAM @DrSJaishankar on the present situation in Afghanistan, on 26th August, 11am in Main Committee Room, PHA, New Delhi. Invites are being sent through email. All concerned are requested to attend,” Joshi tweeted.
Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed the ministry of external affairs
(MEA) to brief the floor leaders of the political parties.
“In view of developments in Afghanistan, PM @narendramodi has instructed that MEA brief Floor Leaders of political parties. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs @JoshiPralhad will be intimating further details,” Jaishankar tweeted earlier.
The government’s briefing is expected to focus on its evacuation mission from Afghanistan as well as its assessment of the situation in that country.
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.
On Monday, an IAF plane brought back 75 people, including Afghan Sikhs and Hindus. 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 MEA and 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.”
India on Monday also brought back 146 of its nationals in four different flights from Qatar’s capital Doha, days after they were evacuated from Afghanistan by NATO and American aircraft in view of the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country.
On Sunday, 392 people including two Afghan lawmakers were evacuated in three different flights under the evacuation mission.
The Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15. Within two days of the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, India had evacuated 200 people, including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in the Afghan capital.
The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on August 16.
The second aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on August 17.