Centre will bring back all stranded Indians from Afghanistan: Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Shajapur: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that the central government will make all efforts, like it did in the 'Vande Bharat Mission', to bring back Indian citizens from Afghanistan, which is now controlled by the militant group Taliban.

Under the Vande Bharat Mission that was carried out last year, stranded Indians were brought back from foreign countries after the suspension of regular international flights following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Indian government will bring its citizens back to their homes from Afghanistan, like we did in the Vande Bharat Mission, through Air India and the Indian Air Force (IAF) planes, whichever way is possible,” Scindia told reporters in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur, where he reached as part of his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

The Union government had started the evacuation from Afghanistan last Friday, Scindia said.

“The evacuation process continued for three days. But, when a flight was about to take off on Sunday, NOTAM (a notice to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route) was received following gunshots fired at the Kabul airport,” he said.

Following the NOTAM, the airspace over Kabul was closed, so the evacuation process was hindered on Monday, the minister said.

Later, an IAF plane went to Kabul on Tuesday and brought back Indian citizens, he said.

“We will leave no stone unturned to bring back all our citizens from Afghanistan. We already did it earlier under the Vande Bharat Mission,” the minister said.

(With inputs from agency) 

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• Afghanistan
• Air India
• Aviation Minister
• Indian government
• Jyotiraditya Scindia
• Vande Bharat Mission
• stranded Indians
• Indian Air Force