Guwahati News Desk: In a meeting held by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in New Delhi on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed the concerned officials to provide all possible help to “Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance.”
As per the sources, nearly 140 people working at the Indian embassy in Kabul including the Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon, staff at the embassy, Indo Tibetan Border Police guarding the Indian embassy in Kabul and four media persons flew into Delhi late in the evening in one tranche of an evacuation flight run by the Indian Air Force. Moreover, Tandon was also present at the CCS meet, who briefed the Prime Minister on the ground situation in Kabul.
In the CCS meet chaired by PM Modi, further instructions were given to all the concerned officials to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan within the next few days.
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.”
As per the sources, the CCS was briefed in detail on the current and evolving security and political situation in Afghanistan. The Committee 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.
Regarding those present in the meeting, the names include of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, principal secretary to Prime Minister P.K. Mishra and Cabinet secretary Rajeev Gauba. However, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, being out of town could not attend the meeting.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday, added a new category of visa to process applications of those who want to come to India from Afghanistan following the Taliban take over.