The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 announced a new category of visa to fast-tack the applications of Afghans who want to come to India in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.
According to the PTI the announcement came two days after the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan.
Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Taliban advance in Afghanistan
"The MHA reviews visa provisions in view of the current situation in Afghanistan. A new category of electronic visa called 'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa' introduced to fast-track visa applications for entry into India," a home ministry spokesperson said.
Here are the latest developments:
UN says world will 'scrutinise' Taliban actions
The United Nations is urging the Taliban to keep its “promises,” including its pledges to grant an amnesty to former government workers in Afghanistan, show inclusiveness for women and allow girls to remain in school.
“The Taliban have made a number of statements that on the surface are reassuring,” UN human rights office spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters Tuesday in Geneva.
“But their actions speak deeper than words, and it's very early now – it's very fluid.” He said the Taliban's promises "need to be honoured.” “Understandably, given their past history, these declarations have been greeted with some skepticism,” Colville added.
“Nevertheless, the promises have been made, and whether or not they are honoured or broken will be closely scrutinised.” Colville alluded to comments a day earlier from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about “chilling reports” of human rights abuses and restrictions on rights – especially those of women and girls – in areas captured by the Taliban in recent weeks.
He also called on UN member states to “use their influence” with the Taliban to protect civilian lives. - AP
Facebook bans Taliban supporting content: report
Social media giant Facebook said that it has banned the Taliban and all content supporting it from its platforms as it considers the group to be a terrorist organisation, the BBC has quoted.
The company says it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content linked to the insurgent group.
"The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies. This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them," a Facebook spokesperson told the BBC.
Facebook bans Taliban supporting content: report
Kabul talks focus on Taliban-led government
Talks to expand a future Afghan government beyond only Taliban members are continuing in Kabul.
Officials close to the discussions on Tuesday are hoping for “some good news” within a day or two. They spoke on condition of anonymity because until now no one wanted details of negotiations released to the media.
Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi has already held several rounds of talks with Kabul’s political leadership, including Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council and former president Hamid Karzai. - AP
Denmark's aid for Afghanistan
Denmark is giving 100 million kroner ($16 million) for Afghanistan to be channeled through the Red Cross and the United Nations as “the situation is expected to worsen in the near future.”
Denmark’s Foreign Aid Minister Flemming Moeller Mortensen called the situation “deeply worrying.” He added in a statement Tuesday: “Even before the Taliban took power, almost half of the population was dependent on humanitarian aid, and the situation is expected to worsen in the near future.”
UK to boost aid to Afghanistan by around 10%
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the government plans to increase humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, “probably by 10%.”
Raab said the aid budget will be reconfigured for development and humanitarian purposes in Afghanistan and that the Taliban will not get any of the money previously earmarked for security.
“I don’t think we will condition the humanitarian relief we provide to ordinary Afghans on what the Taliban does,” he said.
Mr. Raab added that the aid would not be based on the Taliban meeting certain criteria, such as on governance.
That the British government is planning an “open-hearted” and “bespoke” asylum policy for Afghan citizens.
IAF plane carrying 120 Indians lands at Jamnagar
An Indian Air Force plane with 120 people onboard landed on Tuesday, August 17 , 2021 at Jamnagar in Gujarat from Kabul in Afghanistan, an official said.
The C-17 aircraft touched down at the IAF airbase at Jamnagar at 11.15 am, the official said.
The aircraft had taken off from Kabul carrying Indian personnel as part of the emergency evacuation because of the prevailing situation in the Afghan capital following its takeover by the Taliban.
Immediately after passengers on board the C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft deplaned, they were greeted by people present on the tarmac, the official said.
IAF plane carrying 120 Indians from Afghanistan lands at Jamnagar airbase
India announces emergency e-visa for Afghans
India on August 17 announced that it will issue an emergency e-visa to Afghan nationals who want to come to the country in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power there.
All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’ online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.
The announcement came two days after the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan.
India announces emergency e-visa for Afghans
Large number of IS, LeT and JeM fighters reach Kabul
A large number of fighters belonging to the Islamic State, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have entered the Afghan capital Kabul in the last few days, sources on the ground have informed. The Taliban leadership is aware of the presence of these foreign terrorists who entered the city carrying Taliban flag. It is understood that the groups are operating in different parts of the Kabul city and are not under the control of the Taliban.
Also read: Once U.S. leaves, Pakistan will gain more space in Afghanistan, says Ata Mohammad Noor
Under the agreement with the United States, the Taliban are committed to prevent terrorist groups from operating in Afghanistan and they are expected to evict these groups from capital Kabul in the next few days. An Afghan human rights worker who works closely with the Taliban political office in Doha said that the next few days are going to be critical as the groups may indulge in operations on their own in violation of the orders of the Taliban leadership.
Islamic State, JeM, LeT fighters have entered Afghanistan: sources
Taliban announce 'general amnesty' for govt officials
The Taliban on Tuesday declared a general amnesty for all government officials and urged them to return to work, two days after taking power following a lightning sweep through the country.
"A general amnesty has been declared for all... so you should start your routine life with full confidence," said a statement from the Taliban. - AFP
Taliban leader reported in Kabul for talks
Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi is said to be in the Afghan capital negotiating with Kabul's political leadership, including Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country's negotiating council, and former President Hamid Karzai.
That is according to an official familiar with the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media..
Muttaqi was a Higher Education Minister when the Taliban last ruled and he began making contacts with Afghan political leaders even before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani secretly slipped away from the Presidential Palace on the weekend, leaving a devastating vacuum that Taliban who were surrounding the city strode in to fill.
The official says the talks underway in the Afghan capital are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the government that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said will be an “inclusive Afghan government.” There is little indication about the substance of the talks, but Shaheen earlier told The Associated Press that a government will be announced after negotiations with non-Taliban leaders are completed.
Afghans familiar with the talks say some rounds have gone late into the night and have been underway since soon after Ghani's departure.. —AP
Blinken talks to Qureshi
Pakistan has emphasised the importance of an "inclusive" political settlement in Afghanistan as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed the chaotic and rapidly changing situation in the war-ravaged country after the Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Mr. Blinken's talks with Qureshi was part of the several outreaches made by him to many of his counterparts across the world, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday.
"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Qureshi discussed Afghanistan and the developing situation there," Mr. Price said without giving any other details of the phone call.
Pakistan's Foreign Office in a statement in Islamabad said Qureshi shared Pakistan’s perspective with Blinken noting the significant change in the situation within a short span and the avoidance of violence.
The two leaders discussed the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, according to the Foreign Office.
“He (Qureshi) stressed the importance of inclusive political settlement as the best way forward,” it said.
Pak calls for 'inclusive' political settlement in Afghanistan as Blinken talks to Qureshi
EAM Jaishankar to discuss Afghan situation at UNSC
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who arrived in New York to chair two high-level signature events this week under India’s current Security Council Presidency, has said that he expects to discuss the situation in Afghanistan during his engagements at the United Nations.
Jaishankar arrived on Monday, August 16, 2021, as the Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, the second time in just over the 10 days that the powerful UN body met under India’s Presidency for the month of August to discuss the rapidly deteriorating and unraveling situation in the war-torn country.
“Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN,” Mr. Jaishankar tweeted. — PTI
140 Indians fly home
In all, 140 Indians, including the last of the Indian embassy staff, Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel and four mediapersons took off from the Kabul airport on board a special military flight on August 17 morning. The flight, a C-17 Globemaster, was one of the two military aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force for the purpose of bringing home all Indian personnel from the embassy.
140 Indians fly home as govt. closes embassy in Kabul for now
Blinken talks to EAM Jaishankar
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Monday about the recent developments in Afghanistan.
The Taliban on Sunday, Augut 15, 2021, seized the last major city outside of Kabul held by the country's central government, cutting off the Afghan capital to the east.
Blinken talks to EAM Jaishankar on Afghan crisis
Broader representation must, says India
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held its second meeting on Afghanistan in 10 days, as the country witnessed chaotic scenes over the weekend, with the Taliban taking over Kabul.
India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti said the situation was of great concern to India. “As a neighbour of Afghanistan and a friend to its people, the situation is of great concern to us in India. Everyone is concerned about the increasing violations of the fundamental rights of Afghan citizens,” he said.
Afghan crisis: Broader representation must, says India
Haunted by history, Afghan nationals in India fear for kin
As visuals of fleeing residents dominate television screens, with the Taliban having effectively wrested control from the Western-backed government of Ashraf Ghani, thousands of Afghans in India including students across the country watch in fear for the future of women, children and young men.
For the 150 Afghan students studying in Osmania University (OU) in Hyderabad, following social media sites and watching TV news channels, the situation as it unfolds fills them with trepidation and concern. They don’t want to go back home and yet worry for the safety of those left behind.
“Don't come back home now!” is the plea from Afghans to their sons and daughters in Hyderabad — a sentiment echoed by Afghan students in Hyderabad.
Haunted by history, Afghan nationals in India fear for kin
Rashid Khan worried about his family, says Pietersen
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has revealed that Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is worried about the situation back home and is not able to get his family out of the country because flight operations have been affected to the ongoing turmoil in the country. Rashid is currently in the UK playing for Trent Rockets in the inaugural edition of the Hundred.
“There’s a lot of things that are happening at home. We had a long chat here on the boundary talking about it and he’s worried: he can’t get his family out of Afghanistan and there’s a lot of things happening for him,” said Pietersen said on Sky Sports.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan worried about his family, says Pietersen
(With inputs from our Correspondents and agencies)
