NEW DELHI: India today brought back 78 people including 25 Indian nationals along with three Sikh holy scriptures from Afghanistan that were flown in from Dushanbe the capital of Tajikistan, a day after they were evacuated from Kabul in an Air Force aircraft. Upspring the elected government, Kabul has been captured by Taliban insurgents after twenty years since American troops were withdrawn. 

Union Minister who formerly held the charge of civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that he was blessed to receive the three holy Swaroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji along with the Afghan Sikh sewadars from Kabul to Delhi.

Minister of State for external affairs V Muraleedharan and BJP leader Sardar R P Singh were also present at the Terminal 3 of IGI Airport to receive the holy scriptures and those who had been flown in. 

Puri later said that so far 626 people including 228 Indian citizens have been evacuated from war-ravaged Afghanistan till now. "During the latest developments in Afghanistan, seven evacuation flights were organised," he said.

He added that during the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, when the Gurudwara at Kabul was attacked, the central government facilitated 383 Afghan Sikhs to come to India. 

Meanwhile, the Indian external affairs ministry has been urging all Indian nationals in Afghanistan to contact the ministry's Special Afghanistan Cell for assistance in facilitating evacuation from the country.