PM Modi chairs high-level meet on Afghan situation, directs officials to ensure safe evacuation of all Indians....
PM Modi chairs high-level meet on Afghan situation, directs officials to ensure safe evacuation of all Indians....
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on security on Tuesday and directed officials to ensure safe evacuation of all Indian citizens from Afghanistan and to provide refuge to Sikhs and Hindus wanting to come to India from there, sources said.
The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, NSA Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary to PM Dr PK Mishra, and Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba.
Sources said that foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon were also present in the meeting. Ambassador Tandon was on the evacuation flight from Kabul that landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar earlier today.
According to sources, the Cabinet Committee on Security was briefed in detail on the current and evolving security and political situation in Afghanistan. The CCS was also briefed on the recent evacuations of Indian Embassy officials and some members of the Indian community, as well as some members of Indian media.
The Prime Minister instructed all concerned officials to undertake all necessary measures to ensure safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan in the coming days.
According to a senior official privy to the proceedings, PM Modi said: "India must not only protect our citizens, but we must also provide refuge to those Sikh and Hindu minorities who want to come to India, and we must also provide all possible help to our Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance".
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar could not attend the meeting as he is not in the country.
India has airlifted Indian Ambassador Tandon and all staff members from its embassy in Kabul in two military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension and deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital after its takeover by the Taliban.
A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) brought back from Kabul around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians on Tuesday. Another flight had evacuated around 40 staffers from Kabul on Monday.
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Earlier on Tuesday, the MEA said that the immediate priority for the government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan.
Soon after the second military aircraft landed in Hindon completing a two-phase evacuation mission, Jaishankar, who is in New York on a four-day visit, said the evacuation of the Indian embassy staff from Kabul was a "difficult and complicated" exercise.
