New Delhi: In the wake of the Devi Shakti Mission to evacuate stranded Indians and Afghan asylum seekers from the strife-torn country, union minister of external affairs, S Jaishankar informed an all-party delegation today that rescuing Indians from the Taliban grip is the top-most priority.
“We have undertaken evacuation operations in extremely difficult conditions especially at the airport. Our immediate concern and task is evacuation and long term interest is the friendship for the Afghan people,” Jaishankar also tweeted.
And he added, “Our strong friendship with the people of Afghanistan is reflected in the more than 500 projects we have there. This friendship will continue to guide us. India’s footprint and activities naturally keep in mind the ongoing changes.”
The meeting was attended among others Jaishankar’s cabinet colleagues Piyush Goyal and Prahlad Joshi and opposition leaders like Sharad Pawar, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, HD Deve Gowda and others.
Leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge later said, “This is entire country’s problem. We have to work together for interests of people and nation. They told us to wait and watch. All parties have taken the same view.” And he added, “We raised the issue of a female (Afghan) diplomat who was deported. They said that they made a mistake, it won’t be repeated & they will look into the matter.”