India committed to safe return of its nationals from Afghanistan, says Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

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New Delhi: Indian government is committed to the safe returns of its nationals from Afghanistan, said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, as an Air India flight with 87 Indians evacuees from Kabul landed here on Sunday via Tajikistan.

"From Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan @airindiain The aircraft reached New Delhi carrying 87 Indians. Under the guidance of strong-willed prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian government is committed to ensuring the safe return of Indian nationals," Scindia tweeted.

ताजिकिस्तान की राजधानी दुशांबे से @airindiain का विमान 87 भारतीयों को लेकर नई दिल्ली पहुँचा।

अफगानिस्तान के बिगड़ते हालात के बीच सरकार दृढ़ इच्छाशक्ति वाले हमारे प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi जी के मार्गदर्शन में हर एक भारतीय की सुरक्षित घर-वापसी के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है।

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) August 22, 2021

The flight ferrying 87 Indians from Afghanistan`s Kabul landed in Delhi early on Sunday. The Indians were taken to Tajikistan`s capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on board a transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday.

The minister also retweeted a video in which passengers being evacuated raised "Bharat Mata ki Jai" as the flight lifted off from Dushanbe airport. India has so far evacuated around 300 people from Afghanistan including its ambassador and all other diplomats.

It has been evacuating its citizens along the Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Qatar routes. India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan, government sources told ANI.

The permission was granted by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15.

People in Afghanistan have been rushing to leave the country after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country`s government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.

The MEA has said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. The MEA said that the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

(With agency inputs)