CCS takes stock of evacuation from Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: With India managing to evacuate its entire embassy staff from Kabul in what foreign minister S Jaishankar described as a “difficult and complicated exercise”, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex body on national security, met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take stock of the situation.

Two C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF flew in from Kabul with a total of 190 people, one landing in Jamnagar in Gujarat and the other at the Hindon airbase.  The C-17 that landed at IAF’s Hindon airbase around 5 pm, had around 150 people, including diplomats, officials, security personnel and some other stranded Indians. Besides, France evacuated 21 Indians from Kabul to Paris.

The evacuation happened only after Jaishankar called up US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, sources said. Sources also said Modi was personally monitoring the evacuation and instructed officials to make arrangements for the food and security of the returning people.

At the CCS meeting,  Modi directed all concerned ministries to keep a close track of the evolving situation, an official said. Those present included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. 

There were also reports of evacuated Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon briefing the meeting.
India has already opened an emergency e-visa facility for Afghans and clarified that repatriation will be done irrespective of religion, the Union ministry of home affairs announced on Tuesday.

Meanwhile SOS calls kept coming in, with the Kerala government requesting help to bring back 41 Malayalis stranded in Kabul. Some messages claimed the Taliban were verifying their  identity and taking away their passports and other important documents.