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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
To counter Uddhav, BJP posts video showing checking of Fadnavis' bags
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra BJP on Wednesday posted a video on X showing checking of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' bags, and said merely holding the Constitution for "show" is not enough and one must also follow the constitutional system.
Some leaders have the habit of creating "drama", the BJP said in the post, which comes after former CM Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) shared videos online over the last two days of his bags being checked by poll authorities.
In the last two days, Thackeray claimed his bags were inspected by the election authorities after he arrived in Latur and Yavatmal districts to campaign for the November 20 state assembly elections.
Thackeray had also asked if the same law would be applied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the ruling alliance during their campaign.
On Wednesday, the state BJP unit posted a footage on its social media handle X, showing Fadnavis' bags being checked by security personnel at Kolhapur airport on November 5.
The ruling party in the post along with the video said, "Let it be, some leaders just have a habit of creating drama."
The BJP said the deputy CM's bag was checked in Yavatmal district on November 7, but he neither recorded any video nor made a fuss about it.
Earlier, on November 5, Fadnavis' bags were also checked at the Kolhapur airport, it said referring to the video.
"Simply holding the Constitution for show is not enough; one must also follow constitutional systems. We only request that everyone respects the Constitution," the BJP said in the post.
On Tuesday, Fadnavis said Thackeray was trying to divert the attention by needlessly protesting about the checking of his bags by poll officials and was "seeking votes by whining".
What is wrong with checking of bags? the senior BJP leader had wondered.
Thackeray's frustration was showing, he added.
जाऊ द्या, काही नेत्यांना तमाशा करण्याची सवयच असते!
— भाजपा महाराष्ट्र (@BJP4Maharashtra) November 13, 2024
हा व्हीडिओ पहा, 7 नोव्हेंबरला यवतमाळ जिल्ह्यात आमचे नेते मा. देवेंद्रजी फडणवीस यांच्या बॅगची तपासणी झाली. पण, त्यांनी ना कोणता व्हीडिओ काढला, ना कोणती आगपाखड केली. तत्पूर्वी, 5 नोव्हेंबर रोजी कोल्हापूर विमानतळावर सुद्धा मा.… pic.twitter.com/ebkuigJE2E
