Delhi HC asks Centre to start work on PIL regarding evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan

In a major development in connection with atrocities against minorities in Afghanistan, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Central Government to decide the representation of the plea related to 227 Indian and Afghan Nationals of Indian origin stranded on Afghan soil.

The High Court disposed of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) relating to 227 Indian nationals and Afghan nationals of Indian origin who are Hindus and Sikhs by religion stranded in Afghanistan and are under threat from the Taliban. The petitioner had sought urgent evacuation, issuance of e-visa and safe return to India. 

Advocate Amit Mahajan, Central Government standing counsel, told the HC that the Centre has made efforts to evacuate them and it does not want to disclose the details of those stranded to the petitioner. The petition was filed by Parminder Pal Singh, a social activist and former spokesman of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.

Indians Stranded In Afghanistan 

This comes a day after several humanitarian organisations and NGOs appealed to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), requesting them to evacuate over 100 Indians, including their spouses and children, as well as over 200 Hindu-Sikh Afghans struck in Afghanistan.

They have been facing threats to their life, the NGOs claimed. The plea also asserted that the Indian government pays attention to the issuance of fresh e-visas as assured. It further said that those wishing to be flown out of Afghanistan are awaiting the e-visa, as the previously issued visas were cancelled by the Indian government. The Taliban in Afghanistan has also reportedly given an ultimatum to Sikhs to either convert to Islam or leave the country. ''Sikhs and Hindus in grave danger in Afghanistan," Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President, Manjinder Singh Sirsa had said.

When the US and other foreign-led forces left Afghanistan in August, causing the fall of the government, India declared the cancellation of all previously issued visas and stated that Afghans may only enter the country through e-visas which will be issued by the authorities under India's strategy to help people evacuate the war-torn nation.

(With ANI Inputs)

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