New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Tuesday said that the movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from war-torn Afghanistan to India was a “difficult and complicated exercise” as he thanked those who cooperated and facilitated the evacuation efforts.
Jaishankar, who is in the US on a four-day visit to attend a number of UN Security Council events, including a briefing on terrorism that will be held under India’s presidency of the powerful body, took to Twitter to share details about New Delhi’s efforts to get Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon and the Embassy staff out from Kabul.
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“Movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise. Thank all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible,” he said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar discussed the evolving situation in war-ravaged Afghanistan with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian here and thanked him for evacuating 21 Indians from Kabul to Paris.
“Discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan with Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian. We will continue to coordinate in the UN Security Council. Thank him for evacuating 21 Indian nationals from Kabul to Paris,” the External Affairs Minister said in another tweet.
Jaishankar’s visit to New York is taking place in the backdrop of the Taliban’s rapid onslaught in Afghanistan and the issue is likely to figure in his talks with UN officials.
Upon his arrival here Monday to chair two high-level signature events this week under India’s current Security Council Presidency, Jaishankar said he expects to discuss the situation in Afghanistan during his engagements at the United Nations.
India Tuesday rushed back home its ambassador Tandon and staff from the embassy in Kabul in a military transport aircraft following escalating tension, fear and uncertainty gripping the Afghan capital after the Taliban insurgents seized the Afghan capital on Sunday.
The C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying around 150 people, including diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians, landed at the Hindon airbase near the national capital at around 5 PM after a brief halt at Jamnagar in Gujarat, in the wake of escalating tension, fear and uncertainty gripping the Afghan capital after its take over by the Taliban two days back.
It is the second evacuation flight as another C-17 aircraft brought back around 40 people from the Hamid Karzai International (HKI) Airport in Kabul Monday as part of India’s emergency evacuation mission that was carried out following coordination with relevant authorities including US officials handling security at the airport in the Afghan capital.
Upon his arrival in Jamnagar, Indian envoy Tandon asserted that India has not abandoned the people of the war-ravaged country with whom New Delhi forged longstanding ties and which is now under the Taliban control.
“We are happy that it’s finally over and we are back home safely and securely without any accidents. We were a very large mission of 192 personnel, who were evacuated from Afghanistan within a period of three days in a very orderly fashion in two phases,” Tandon told reporters.
The UN Security Council Monday 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 unravelling situation in the war-torn country.
PTI
