Afghan Airspace Closed, Centre To Make Arrangements To Evacuate Indians

New Delhi: The airspace over Afghanistan was declared closed on Monday, due to which Air India’s scheduled flight to Kabul could not be operated.

Air India, which on Sunday brought back 129 Indians, including diplomats and civilians, was scheduled to send a flight to Kabul from Delhi at 8.50 am on Monday. It was rescheduled to 12.50 pm, before being eventually suspended due to the airspace closure.

There are still many Indian professionals, including some journalists, who are stranded in Afghanistan, which has been taken over by the Taliban.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the ministry of External Affairs and all Central government departments which are responsible for bringing back stranded Indian nationals from Afghanistan will make necessary arrangements for their evacuation.

“Ministry of external affairs (MEA) and others who are responsible for it will make all the arrangements,” Puri said.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had earlier in the day appealed to the Centre to arrange for immediate evacuation of all Indians, “including around 200 Sikhs” trapped at a Gurdwara in the war-torn nation.