1,000 Afghans in, thousands in queue | Economic Times

Thousands of people are desperately seeking to board the earliest flight out of Kabul to India following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, even as nearly 1,000 Afghans have already arrived in Delhi in the past few weeks.With many more people expected to arrive in the coming days, after India introduced a new category of emergency electronic visas for Afghan nationals on Tuesday, the government is figuring out ways to deal with a potential refugee influx, said officials. Priority is being given to those who stood by India or are facing threats, they said. Officials said the government is also in touch with US government officials who are running the Kabul airport to ensure the evacuation process begins as soon as the airport gets functional. “It is important to follow the best runway logistics, which is why we want more people willing to come to India to be in the vicinity of the airport so that there is no waiting time,” said an official, who did not wish to be identified.Fawad Haidary, an Afghan resident of Bhogal in south Delhi, is among those who are anxiously awaiting some positive news from Kabul, where 21 of his family members have made multiple trips to the airport, only to be sent back. “My cousins worked with the Ghani government… The Taliban is furious that people are fleeing the country. They want to be seen as different but everyone knows them inside out. Most of my relatives are staying in shoddy rooms next to the airport just to avoid being seen by them,” Haidary told ET. Mansoor Mohammad, 40, said some preference should be given to interpreters and translators who worked in the Afghan government and army. “We are at most risk. Many of my relatives in Mazar-e-Sharif who used to work with the government are worried that with the Taliban in possession of their biometric data, they will not be spared,” he said. Tajiks, Hazaras Worried Among the most worried people are the minorities such as the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, apart from artists and family members of government and army employees, and those who have spoken against the Taliban on TV or social media, said Nisar Shirazi, a prominent voice among the refugee community in south Delhi. "The open marking of enemies has already begun in the provinces, our relatives are telling us. We don’t have much hope from the UNHCR but India has already been a friend to us. Many of us, especially Tajiks and Hazaras, fled to India when the Taliban came. We are pleading with the Indian government to do the same with our family members back there," said Shirazi.ET had reported on Wednesday that Afghan nationals applying for e-visa will have to provide details such as national identity (Tazkira), proof of occupation and address in Afghanistan, besides a valid passport or identity certificate. The new eEmergency X-Misc Visa will be issued in accordance with security protocols including vetting of the applications by government agencies in Delhi. Afghanistan is in the prior referral category, under which multiple-entry visas cannot be provided by default.