Afghanistan Crisis| Operation Devi Shakti
'Evacuating Indians immediate priority': Govt briefs opposition on Afghanistan situation
New Delhi: The Centre has told the 31 opposition parties attending an all party meeting on the situation in Afghanistan that its immediate priority is the evacuation of all Indians stranded in the conflict-racked country.
The meeting was called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief the opposition on the critical situation in Afghanistan.
Around 15,000 people have sought assistance in fleeing from Afghanistan, NDTV said citing sources.
But, External affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said evacuating Indians will be the top priority.
"We have brought back most Indians... not all. Some could not make it for yesterday's flight. We will definitely try and bring back everyone. We have instituted an e-visa policy and the government is strongly committed to ensuring a full evacuation as soon as possible," Jaishankar said.
Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also attended the meeting.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge (Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha) and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (party chief in the Lok Sabha) were among the opposition leaders who attended the meeting.
After the meeting Kharge told news agency ANI that his party expressed concern over the reports that a female Afghan diplomat had been deported. The government said it was "a mistake" and assured that it would not be repeated, adding that it was looking into the matter.
#WATCH | "We raised the issue of a female (Afghan) diplomat who was deported. They said that they made a mistake, it won't be repeated & they will look into the matter," says Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge after the all-party briefing by EAM Jaishankar on Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/5rXQHYCVhD
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2021
"We have to work together in the interests of the people and the nation," Kharge said, underscoring that the situation in Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan is "the entire country's problem".
According to the NDTV report, the government also told the opposition that the Taliban also broke promises it made to the US and to its allies during the meetings in Doha in the days up to its occupation of Kabul.
BJD leader Prasanna Acharya, who was at the meeting, told NDTV: "In the meeting, the government has denied reports it has been isolated... has told us rescue efforts are being intensified."
India has been allowed to operate two evacuation flights per day from Kabul airport.
So far, over 300 Indian citizens have been repatriated. Overall, more than 600 people have been evacuated.
The foreign ministry said evacuations have also been affected as some Indians did not register on arrival in Kabul, making it difficult to find their whereabouts.
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