Indians survive midnight scare in Kabul, to reach on Sunday
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 21
About 150 Indians managed to reach the safety of the airport and will be evacuated on Sunday after a midnight scare in which they were detained by the Taliban and taken to the eastern part of the city. The military aircraft could not arrive on Saturday and is likely to pick up the Indians on Sunday.
For evacuations, India has parked C-17 transporters at Ayni Air Base in Tajikistan. The aircraft fly in whenever the US, which controls the airport, gives the clearance.
A convoy of vehicles carrying Indians as well as Afghan Sikhs and Hindus was detained by the Taliban after midnight as they were heading to the airport.
There were tense moments for Indian officials here as the city’s security is largely in the hands of the Haqqani network, considered a “veritable arm of the ISI”. The Indians were taken for verification of their documents and the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs were turned back.
Taliban spokesman Ahmadullah Waseq denied the allegations of abduction and suggested that the convoy of vehicles was taken away from the Hamid Karzai International Airport as it was blocking the road.
Some of the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs reportedly reached their homes in Kabul while others who from outside the city have been put up at Gurdwara Karta-e-Parwan.
Subsequently, the Indians were asked to board the buses to the airport and some were also served lunch.
The coordinator, a local Afghan, then got in touch with Indian officials after his mobile was restored. Sri Lanka has also requested India to vacate 20 of its nationals from Afghanistan.
The absence of a Government in Kabul has led to chaos at the airport. The Americans control one entry to the airport and the Taliban other. Besides Taliban checkpoints detain outsiders and it requires channels to senior leaders to allow them to proceed unmolested.
While a senior Haqqani Network leader has been put in charge of Kabul security, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Chief Peace Negotiator Abdullah Abdullah met the acting Governor of Taliban for Kabul, Abdul Rahman Mansour to discuss the state of security in the city.
The absence of a Central authority showed in a fatwa issued from Herat banning co-education and most shops in Shia Hazara dominated Bamyan remained closed on apprehension of reprisals. Haji Mullah, the police chief of Badghis Province, was shown on social media as alive in the custody of the Taliban after assurances that he won’t be harmed. Videos later showed his execution after being blindfolded and made to kneel.
Family members of several government officials appeared on social media claiming that their relatives are not traceable. These include former governor and police chief of Laghman Abdul Wali Wahidzai and Lotfullah Kamram, respectively.
