Amid Afghan crisis, Jaishankar to cut short U.S. visit

Human rights organisation says Afghan nationals seeking shelter in India should be granted the status of refugees

In view of developments in Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is cutting short his visit to the Americas this week, and will return from the United Nations after chairing over two meetings at the UN Security Council. Mr. Jaishankar was due to travel to Mexico, Panama and Guyana after his visit to New York, but sources said these visits would now be “rescheduled” at a later date, evidently of the fast moving crisis in Afghanistan which has triggered an exodus to neighbouring countries and beyond. Mr. Jaishankar is due to return to Delhi on Friday, to oversee logistical and diplomatic meetings over the rapid turn of events in Afghanistan, and India’s stand on the new Taliban regime in power in Kabul. In particular, the government’s decision after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security, to accept visa requests from all Afghan nationals, including Hindus and Sikhs who want to leave Afghanistan in view of the Taliban takeover. However, a human rights organisation in Delhi has said providing visas to Afghan nationals seeking shelter in India will not serve a humanitarian purpose and they should be granted the status of refugees. The Rights and Risk Analysis Group (RRAG) has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to defend the human rights of the Afghans who are fleeing to India, by granting them the status of refugees.