Two Afghan senators were among the 24 Sikhs who landed in India this morning, looking to escape the Taliban, which now controls the war-torn nation. One of them, Senator Narender Singh Khalsa, was in tears. Asked about how the situation was in Afghanistan, he broke down.
"I feel like crying... Everything that was built in the last 20 years is now finished. It's zero now," he told reporters at the Hindon air base near Delhi, where their flight -- a special flight from the Indian Air Force -- landed this morning.
India had assured that it would extend help to Hindus and Sikhs who are Afghan nationals, as well as its friends in Afghanistan who need help.
"India must not only protect our citizens, but also provide refuge to Sikh and Hindu minorities who want to come to India. We must also provide all possible help to our Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance," PM Modi was quoted as saying at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of security.
Today's evacuation comes almost a week after the last batch of Indians -- the staff at the Indian Embassy in Kabul including the Indo Tibetan Border Force personnel who were there for security -- reached Gujarat's Jamnagar.
Many of the evacuees are from a Gurdwara in Kabul, where they have been staying for days. They will be moved to the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara next.
"We had to come repeatedly to the airport. The Taliban are cruel, barbarian people. We had to go through many hardships. Even at the airport the Taliban were insistent, saying 'Don't leave, why are you leaving?' We thank the Modi government for getting us to safety," added another Sikh passenger.
