India evacuates 168 people from Kabul
New Delhi(PTI): India on Sunday evacuated 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a military transport aircraft of the IAF amid the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital city following its takeover by the Taliban a week back.
Another group of 87 Indians and two Nepalese nationals who were flown in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on Saturday, arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, people familiar with the development said.
They were brought back in a special Air India flight from Dushanbe, they said.
Separately, a group of 135 Indians, who were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Doha in the last few days by the US and NATO aircraft, also returned to India.
It is learnt that the Indians evacuated to Doha from Kabul were employees of a number of foreign companies that were operating in Afghanistan.
"Evacuation continues!IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
It is learnt that a number of prominent Sikh leaders are on board the flight.
"Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan!AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated.Assisted and supported by our Embassy @IndEmbDushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow," Bagchi tweeted at around 1:20 am.
India evacuated 200 people including the Indian envoy and other staffers of its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.
The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.
The Taliban swept across Afghanistan this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities including Kabul in the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US forces.
The mission to evacuate close to 200 Indians was accomplished with support from the US
Following the evacuation, the MEA said the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital.
The MEA said the immediate priority for the government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan.
It also requested the Indians as well as their employers to urgently share the relevant details with the special Afghanistan cell.
As per a rough estimate earlier, the number of Indians stranded in Afghanistan could be around 400 and India has been looking at ways to evacuate them including by coordinating with the US and other friendly countries.
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Kharge speaks with CPI's D Raja, seeks support for TVK
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has spoken with CPI general secretary D Raja and urged his party to support the TVK for the formation of a secular government in Tamil Nadu, sources said on Friday.
Sources said Kharge called Raja on Thursday to emphasise that the CPI should take an early decision so that the BJP does not get a chance to try and grab power through the backdoor.
Raja is understood to have said that CPI will consult its local allies, including the DMK, and decide on it soon.
The Congress, a long-time ally of the DMK, on Wednesday announced its support to actor-politician Vijay's TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu and severed ties with the Dravidian major.
The DMK dubbed the act of Congress to snap ties with it and join forces with TVK as "backstabbing."
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly in the April 23 polls. Though the Congress, which has five MLAs, has extended support to the TVK, the actor-politician-led party is still short of as many seats to touch 118, the majority mark.
The CPI executive committee, which met here on Friday over support to the TVK, is involved in weighing the pros and cons, the party said.
The Communist Party of India is keen on safeguarding its ideology and ensuring that a common minimum programme is followed in case the party decides to back the TVK, a source in the party said.
The CPI won two seats in the April 23 Assembly election in alliance with the DMK.
Earlier, CPI general secretary D Raja told PTI Videos that the party was keen on keeping the right wing away from the state.
"We will come to some conclusion and we want a stable government that will work in the interest of the state, keep away communal right-wing forces and uphold secular democratic values," Raja said, adding, the party's position would be clear by the evening
