Terror Group steals Afghan Passports With Indian Visas
E-visa applications were being accepted by India from Afghan nationals after the shutting down of Indian embassy in Kabul. A number of Afghan nationals who worked with erstwhile Afghan government and security agencies begun seeking India’s help for asylum amidst Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. It is learnt that India has already received more than 15,000 e-visa requests from Afghan nationals.
News Media are now saying that soon after Kabul was taken over by Taliban, a private travel agency in Kabul was raided by an armed group of Urdu speaking men on 15 Aug. They stole several Afghan passports with Indian visas. This group seems to be backed by Pakistan ISI and thus has turned into a massive security nightmare for New Delhi. This private travel agency works in coordination with the Indian embassy in Kabul for the facilitation of Indian visas for Afghan nationals.
MEA is still trying to access how many passports have been stolen. The Ministry of External Affairs and security agencies are looking into it. All those Afghan passports had Indian visas on it and could be misused by terror groups. Thus taking due precautions, the Ministry, had cancelled all old Indian visas of Afghan nationals because of the security situation.
India has already launched a massive evacuation mission with the Indian Air Force and Air India working closely with Indian diplomats and security agencies for a safe and secure rescue of Indian nationals and other threatened groups in Kabul.
Over 800 individuals have already been rescued by several flights of Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft. Even as the evacuation mission of the US, along with several of its allies, continues from the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the security of Kabul has been taken over by Haqqani Network which has been a Pakistan proxy since long.
“Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa,” said a Government statement.
Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India now may apply for e-Visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in.
