Air India flight airlifted 78 people from Afghanistan lands in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Air India flight evacuated 78 people including 25 Indian nationals from Tajikistan's Dushanbe on Tuesday, according to the ministry of external affairs (MEA).

As per the reports, they were flown out of Taliban-controlled Kabul to Dushanbe in an aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) a day before.

Arindam Bagchi, the MEA spokesperson, tweeted "Helping in the safe return from Afghanistan. AI 1956 enroute to Delhi from Dushanbe carrying 78 passengers, including 25 Indian nationals. Evacuees were flown in from Kabul on an @IAF_MCC aircraft."

Reportedly, India will be evacuating more people including its own nationals and dozens of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from Kabul. Further on Monday, Indian authorities evacuated 75 Sikhs from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile the report states that three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib and 75 people including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, will also be evacuated from Afghanistan on an IAF plane.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “Three Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji are being escorted to the IAF aircraft at Kabul Airport. Forty-six Afghan Hindus and Sikhs along with stranded Indian nationals are blessed to return on the same flight.”

The President of the Indian World Forum, Puneet Singh Chandhok said that there are still nearly 200 more Afghan Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan.

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