Afghan Crisis: Amarinder Singh has made an urgent appeal to the government.
Taliban's return to power to Afghanistan after 20 years has escalated the humanitarian crisis that started when the United States pulled out its troops in May. As scenes of turmoil emerge, triggering concerns and appeals worldwide about the safety of foreigners as well as locals, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also made an urgent request about the evacuation of 200 Sikhs stuck in a Gurudwara.
"Urge @DrSJaishankar, MEA, GoI, to arrange for immediate evacuation of all Indians, including around 200 Sikhs, stuck in a Gurudwara in Afghanistan after the #Taliban takeover. My govt is willing to extend any help needed to ensure their safe evacuation. @MEAIndia (sic)," the Punjab Chief Minister tweeted, asking Foreign Minister S Jaishankar for help.
Hours after Taliban captured Afghanistan's capital Kabul, the airspace was closed today, aggravating the crisis.
This was after hundreds of Afghans were seen on the airport's runways, pulling luggage and jostling for a place on one of the last commercial flights to leave the country, hoping to catch a flight. Amid the commotion, the US troops fired shots in the air, news agency AFP reported.
"The airspace is closed. How any airline can operate? We were not able to operate our 12:30 pm flight to Kabul," a source in Air India told NDTV.
On Sunday, Amarinder Singh had said that there was a need to reman extra vigilant at all borders of the country, saying Afghanistan's "fall" to the Taliban "does not augur well" for India.
"Afghanistan's fall to #Taliban doesn't augur well for our country. It'll strengthen the Sino-Pak nexus against India (China has already sought militia's help on Uyghur). The signs are not at all good, we need to be extra vigilant now at all our borders," he had tweeted.
More than 60 countries, including the US, have urged Taliban to let Afghans leave the country, warning of accountability for any abuses.
"The United States joins the international community in affirming that Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter as the State Department released a statement signed by its close allies.