April 17, 1992. India had a plane waiting on the tarmac for Dr Mohammad Najibullah. The then Afghanistan president didn’t make it—Abdul Rashid Dostum, who had controlled the airport, changed sides. The plane left without Najibullah—a stain on India’s capability to carry out a covert operation—but not intent: to stand by its allies.
Almost 30 years later, the chaos is similar because of the return of the Taliban and, despite a mastery of social media and two press conferences, the fear on the streets is palpable. India has temporarily shut down its embassy in Kabul, evacuated 565 people, 175 officials—including three K9s—112 Afghan nationals, including Hindus and Sikhs.
As the situation swiftly worsened, India was the first country to promise to stand by its Afghan partners. Two weeks later, the promise is yet to be kept. An e-visa scheme has been launched for Afghan nationals with a six-month validity. But bureaucratic delay has ensured that the wait is endless. “By delaying emergency e-visas and not coming to the help of Afghans over issues of life, death and freedom, we risk undoing all the goodwill and political capital that we have built up in Afghanistan over the last 20 years in one stroke,’’ said Gautam Mukhopadhyay, former ambassador to Afghanistan. “I urge the goverment to follow a more liberal visa policy for Afghans in danger. These are not refugees. They will return whenever they can. Meanwhile, they will be an asset for India.”
While there have been the politically connected who have found their way to India—a few and in a hush-hush manner—there are many who are still waiting. However, India has made it clear: the priority is Indian nationals.
So far, apart from the initial statement of support, India has done little to support the perception that the doors are open to Indian nationals, Hindus and Sikhs. The deportation of Afghan leader Rangina Kargar with a valid passport after a wait at Delhi airpor has not helped the situation. The Ministry of External Affairs has claimed confusion and Kargar has claimed that she did get an apology. But there has been little damage control. A readout on Tuesday—the first on a meeting between the Indian ambassador at Qatar with Taliban in Doha—simply focused on safety, security and early return of Indians stranded in the country. “The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wished to travel to India also came up,’’ according to the statement.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted at a weekly briefing that the primary focus would remain the evacuation of its citizens, but India will also stand by Afghans who stood by India. But, with the Taliban taking control and reports of even Afghans trained in India being targeted, time is running out.
Over the years, the idea of freedom has been linked with India—the building of the Afghan Parliament was testimony to India’s democratic traditions. An estimated 11,000 Afghans study in India, of which 35 per cent are believed to be women. Many of the students are now in limbo, with their embassy shut and their visas no longer valid. Universities have tried to pitch in. The O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has launched special fellowships, the Advancement of Afghan Nationals in Comprehensive Education (ADVANCE), offering "credible educational alternatives" to Afghanistan students. At IIT Delhi, there is a helpline that is helping Afghan students find a place on campus, if they can. And Pune University is offering counselling.
But, at heart of the issue, lies the lack of clarity of a refugee policy in India. In the post Citizen Amendment Act climate, India will need to act swiftly to stand by the ordinary Afghan. “I think, in all the 34 Afghan provinces, we have development projects of some kind,’’ said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Raisina Dialogue earlier this year. “In the last 20 years, we have demonstrated through our actions and projects on the ground, what our real feelings are for Afghanistan.”
For India, it is time to walk the talk. Especially at a time when even South Korea is welcoming Afghans. There is a lot at stake. “I have lived through Taliban times when I was a child,’’ Ruqia, who studied in India, said over the phone from Afghanistan. “The Taliban is now coming house to house with a list. I have worked with women’s rights groups in the past. They are against women, and especially women like me.’’
India has its task cut out to emerge as a power to reckon with in the region, and more importantly, to have a future in the country where it has steadily won hearts and minds. “India’s ambition to be a regional first responder is not just about natural calamities,’’ said Constantino Xavier, Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. “But also the capability to protect its partners in conflict zones. This requires an asylum policy with clear rules on whom to protect and on what ground.”