PIL in Delhi HC seeks evacuation of stranded Indian, Afghan nationals

New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the government to evacuate and bring to India 227 Indian and Afghan nationals belonging to Hindu, and Sikh communities stranded in Afghanistan and facing threats to their lives and properties from the Taliban.

The plea, filed by social activist and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee's former spokesman Parminder Pal Singh, through his lawyer Gurinder Pal Singh, sought urgent evacuation, issuance of e-visa and safe return of these people to India.

It was also stated that unfortunately, no steps were taken to airlift the stranded Indian and Afghan nationals of Indian origin from Afghanistan to India while the government facilitated the departure of 106 stranded Afghan nationals in India to Kabul.

The stranded persons were not able to leave the country despite trying to escape the atrocities, it added.

The pleas also said, earlier, out of the 216 applications, e-visa was granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs only in eight cases while leaving out the rest.

Claiming that many Indians and Afghan nationals were either killed or wounded at the hands of the Taliban forces, the plea urged immediate issuance of e-visa to the "stranded persons" whose names appear in the plea.

Seeking immediate intervention in the matter, the plea said the stranded persons are constantly and almost daily facing threats to their lives and properties and spending each minute in a state of extreme fear and anxiety, and yet there is no action from the Indian government.

The plea also prayed for the court's direction to the government to take up the matter with international agencies and counterparts concerned at the highest level and to ensure the peoples' security during the evacuation process.