- Monday, February 24, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Indian government has decided to bring its citizens based in and around the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan as fighting between the Afghan forces and the resurgent Taliban escalated.
A special flight was arranged from Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth-largest city, to Indian capital New Delhi. It was set to leave on Tuesday (10) evening.
“A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening,” the Indian consulate wrote on Twitter.
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The Indian Embassy in Kabul also issued a security advisory for the Indian nationals based in Afghanistan.
India pulls out diplomats, security staff from Afghanistan
Security Advisory for Indian Nationals in Afghanistan@MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/yB13DRpkgT
— India in Afghanistan (@IndianEmbKabul) August 10, 2021
Those who wish to leave the violence-ravaged country are required to immediately convey their full name, passport number and date of expiry via Whatsapp at these numbers — 0785891303, 0785891301.
(1/2) A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening.
— India in Mazar (@IndianConsMazar) August 10, 2021
(2/2) Indian citizens desiring to leave by special flight should immediately convey their full name, passport number, date of expiry by whatsapp at the following numbers:
0785891303
0785891301— India in Mazar (@IndianConsMazar) August 10, 2021
Indian news agency PTI, however, reported that the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif will continue to be in operation through local staff members.
New Delhi pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Afghanistan a month ago as the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated rapidly and the Taliban were regaining their control in the middle of the western troops’ withdrawal from the country where they were stationed for nearly 20 years.
A special aircraft of the Indian Air Force was sent to Afghanistan on July 10 to bring back the Indian diplomats, officials and other staff members, including a group of Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel. Last month, an Indian photojournalist was killed while covering the conflict between the Afghan forces and Taliban and it was later revealed that the extremist group killed him brutally.
India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indian personnel have been brought back in view of the intense fighting.
“The safety and security of our personnel is paramount. The consulate general of India in Kandahar has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India-based personnel have been brought back for the time being,” he said.
Last week, the ministry told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, that the government has kept a close watch on the situation in Afghanistan and is taking all measures to ensure that Indians still remaining in that country are safe.
The Taliban have been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the US started withdrawing its troops on 1 May. The deadline for the troops’ pull-out is August 31 and the international community has expressed concerns over how the future unfolds on its soil.
