• India announced that it will issue an emergency e-visa to Afghan nationals who want to come to the country in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power there.

• All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’ online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.

• The announcement came two days after the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan.

• Since Indian missions in Afghanistan are shut, the visa can be applied online and applications will be examined and processed in New Delhi.

• The visa will initially be valid for six months.

• Security issues will be looked into while processing the applications and granting the visa to Afghan nationals.

• Meanwhile, an Indian Air Force plane with 120 people, including the Indian ambassador Rudrendra Tandon and staff at the embassy in Kabul, landed at Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat from Afghanistan. Tandon, who assumed charge as Indian ambassador in Afghanistan in August last year, said the embassy assisted and even gave shelter to many distressed Indians following the fast-changing situation in Kabul.

India’s stand on the crisis in Afghanistan

• According to the ministry of external affairs, the Indian government is in touch with various stakeholders within and outside Afghanistan, including regional and international partners.

• As a contiguous neighbour and strategic partner, India has a steadfast policy to support sovereign, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, where the interest of all sections of Afghan society including women, children and minorities are protected, the MEA said.

• India supports all peace initiatives leading towards a lasting political settlement through an inclusive Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled process which would lead to peace and stability in the region. 

India’s projects in Afghanistan

• India has committed humanitarian and development assistance of over $3 billion to Afghanistan, under which more than 500 infrastructure / development projects have been undertaken since 2002. 

• Completed projects have been handed over to the government of Afghanistan.

• India has undertaken projects virtually in all parts of Afghanistan, in a wide range of sectors including hydro-electricity, power transmission lines, road construction, agriculture and industry, telecommunications, information and broadcasting, education and health, which have been identified by the Afghan government as priority areas for development.

Some of the key projects:

• In December 2015, PM Modi inaugurated the Afghan parliament building that was constructed by India at a cost of $90 million.

• On June 4, 2016, PM Modi and Afghanistan President Asharaf Ghani jointly inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam.

• Completed the construction of 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram to facilitate movement of goods and services from Afghanistan to the Iranian border and, onward, to the Chabahar Port.

• Completed the construction of 220kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul and a 220/110/20 kV sub-station at Chimtala to bring additional power from the northern grid to Kabul.

Other initiatives:

• Since its inauguration in 2017, India-Afghanistan Air-Freight Corridor has witnessed close to a 1,000 flights, carrying goods valued at over $216 million.

• Another important initiative which strengthened bilateral trade was the operationalisation of the Chabahar Port in December 2017, followed by commercial agreement to manage port operations in February 2018.

Return of Taliban in Afghanistan

• The Taliban are a hardline Islamist movement in Afghanistan.

• It originally drew members from so-called “mujahideen” fighters who, with support from the United States, repelled Soviet forces in the 1980s.

• The group emerged in 1994 as one of the factions fighting a civil war and went on to control most of the country by 1996. 

• Its founder and original leader was Mullah Mohammad Omar, who went into hiding after the Taliban was toppled by US-backed local forces following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

• The Taliban melted away into remote areas, where it began a 20-year-long insurgency against the Afghan government and its Western allies.

• Since foreign troops began to withdraw they have seized most of the country’s territory.

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