Stranded Afghans In Delhi Demand Resumption Of Commercial Flights To Afghanistan, Say Want to return Home

Afghan nationals gathered outside the Afghanistan embassy based in Delhi on Friday to push their demand to retrieve flight operations between both countries. India had halted its flight operations to Afghanistan soon after the Taliban’s takeover of power in Kabul on August 15, 2021. 

More than a thousand Afghan citizens are stranded in India with most of them repeatedly visiting the Afghanistan embassy to inquire about flight operations. Those who arrived in Delhi for short stays and medical emergencies are stranded to date and are finding it difficult to make ends meet. 

Those who arrived in Delhi for business have an established settlement in the Lajpat Nagar area, but many of them can’t afford to live there for long. 

The Cognate tried to speak to some Afghans gathered at the embassy. 31-year-old Mehboobullah Mohammadi came to India, just one day before the power reshuffle in his country but couldn’t go back.

He said, “We are 5 people and stay in a rented place, which cost around 5000 INR per day, with my 68-year-old father, who is diabetic, his brother, his brother’s wife and their son”. “We came here for my father and brother’s treatment, which lasted for only 15 days, but since then we are waiting for flights to get operational so that we can go back to our home.”

They have visited the Afghan embassy several times but to no avail.

Another Afghanistan resident, Azita Osmania, who came to Delhi for her treatment along with her mother, is forced to sleep in a park in Lajpat Nagar, as all her money is spent on the treatment and medical expenses.

Financial transactions between Afghanistan and India have also been restricted. Osmania is only surviving on voluntary help extended by her neighbour. Her five-year-old daughter and husband are in Afghanistan and awaiting her return.

“It feels like I am caged here, nobody is ready to help us, India has seized flights. They don’t provide a flight; they are not allowing one to come from my country. What should I do?” she said. “I miss my daughter, I could have taken a flight to another country and then from there to my home, but I don’t have any money. There is no way to get more money”. She is also particularly worried as her visa expires in a few days.

The Afghan civil aviation authority had written a letter to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation requesting to restart the scheduled commercial flights to Afghanistan.

The letter was written by Alhaj Hameedullah Akhunzada, acting Minister of Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority in the present regime addressing it to the Director-General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India, Arun Kumar, dated September 7, 2021.

“As you are well informed, recently the Kabul Airport was damaged and dysfunctional by American troops before their withdrawal. With the technical assistance of our Qatar Brother, the Airport became operational once again and a NOTAM in this regard was issued on 6 September 2021,” reads the letter.

It further reads, “The intention of this letter is to keep the smooth passenger movement between the two countries based on the signed MoU and our National Carriers (Ariana Afghan Airline & Kam Air) aimed to commence their scheduled flights. Therefore, Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority requests you to facilitate their commercial flights”.

However, even after three weeks of receiving the request letter from the neighbouring country, India’s position on it is still unclear.

As of now, only some international flights are operating in and out of Afghanistan which includes Iran and Pakistan. Along with this, some special flights from UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Ukraine are also working in the state.