India has no immediate plan to shut Kabul embassy | Economic Times

India has no immediate plans to shut down its embassy in Kabul amid the Taliban surge in Afghanistan. However, New Delhi has a contingency plan in case the situation deteriorates and the Afghan capital is under siege.The Indian government is closely monitoring the situation on the ground, not only in Kabul but also in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif where the Taliban earlier failed to make inroads but currently have pushed their way through, ET has learnt. Like in any conflict situation, the government has a contingency plan if the Taliban take control of Kabul, people familiar with the issue said. On Thursday, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated India was in touch with all the stakeholders in Afghanistan and closely monitoring the ground situation in the war-ravaged country. "The situation in Afghanistan is of concern. It is a rapidly evolving situation. We continue to hope that there will be a comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan," he said.India, meanwhile, has issued an advisory for Indian nationals to leave Afghanistan. ‘"No evacuation has been planned. Indian consulate officials in Mazar-e-Sharif were evacuated," the spokesperson said. In July, Indian Embassy officials from Kandahar were evacuated.The US has rushed 3,000 troops to Kabul to evacuate its diplomatic mission, as the Taliban advanced towards the capital and security situation worsened in Afghanistan. The Department of Defense is preparing to possibly evacuate the US embassy and US citizens as the Biden administration considers the possibility that the capital could fall within 30 days. These developments come amid a move by the UN Security Council to discuss a draft statement that would condemn Taliban attacks on cities and towns causing high civilian casualties and threaten sanctions for abuses and acts that risk Afghanistan's peace and stability.The formal statement, drafted by Estonia and Norway has to be agreed by consensus by the 15-member body, according to a Reuters report.According to Reuters, the text also “strongly affirms that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not recognised at the United Nations and declares that it does not and will not support the establishment of any government in Afghanistan imposed through military force or restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”. Herat, in western Afghanistan and the third largest city in the landlocked country, fell to the Taliban on Friday after key government institutions were captured by the group. All government officials in Herat, including the governor, police chief and head of the NDS (intelligence) office, as well as former mujahedeen leader Mohammad Ismail Khan, the deputy minister of interior for security, and local armed forces commander surrendered to the Taliban, ET has learnt.