Afghanistan: Telangana man stranded in Kabul, family requests govt for his safe evacuation

As chaos continues to plague Afghanistan which fell to Talibani terrorists on Sunday, tens of thousands of people continue to make desperate attempts to flee the country. A 44-year-old man, Bommana Rajanna, from Telangana's Mancherial district is one such person who remains stranded in Kabul. His family has requested the Government of India to bring him home safely. 

Rajanna's daughter informed that her father went to Kabul on 7 August and was supposed to come back by 18 August. However, as flights got cancelled Rajanna couldn't make it home and is currently awaiting evacuation. 

"My father went there on 7 August and was supposed to come back by 18 August. But as the flights got cancelled, my father got stuck there and is currently awaiting an evacuation plan from the Indian government. We request the Government of India to bring him back safely," she said, adding, "Though he is asking us not to worry as he is safe as on now, we are worried about him. Though he might seem brave, he is worried and scared". 

Indians stranded in Afghanistan 

A group of Indian nationals from Dehradun were seen stranded at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The visuals were shared by them on social media.

Earlier 200 Indians were evacuated from Afghanistan in two batches, however, several other are yet to be rescued. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on 17 August, requested stranded Indians in Afghanistan and their employers to share necessary details on the dedicated phone number and mobile number of the MEA Afghanistan Cell. 

The Ministry in a statement said, "We understand that a number of Indians are stranded in that country, some of whom are employed by third country organizations. Our immediate priority is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently in Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the evacuation of the Indian embassy from Afghanistan to be a “difficult and complicated exercise.” On Tuesday, 17 August, Jaishankar informed, via his Twitter handle, "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."

Earlier, The Indian Air Force (IAF) operated a special flight, C-17 Globemaster that took off on Monday, 16 August, from the Hindon Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. The flight was sent to evacuate stranded Indians, including embassy staff and their families. The flight had to be diverted to Tajikistan because of the chaotic situation in Kabul. Later, it landed in Kabul to evacuate citizens and has reached the Hindon air force station after arriving at Jamnagar at 11:20 am on Tuesday, 17 August. 

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP/ANI)