India anticipated Taliban takeover, but not so soon, says Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat

Evacuees from Afghanistan arrive by a special repatriation flight of IAF at the Hindan Air Force Station, in Ghaziabad, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat on Wednesday India was anticipating a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but the timelines of the latest developments have surprised it, noting that the outfit has not changed over the past 20 years. "From India's perspective, we were anticipating a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. We were concerned about how the terrorist activities from Afghanistan could overflow into India," he said.

"And to that extent, our contingency planning had been ongoing and we are prepared for it. Yes, the timelines certainly surprised us. We were anticipating this thing happening maybe a couple of months down the line," he added. He asserted that any possible terrorist activity flowing out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and finding its way into India will be firmly dealt with.

‘All Afghans must travel to India on e-Visa'

The Union home ministry on Wednesday announced that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. The decision comes days after the government introduced a new category of visa called "e-Emergency X-Misc visa" for the Afghan nationals after the Taliban captured power in that country. Officials said since Indian missions in Afghanistan are shut, the applications will be examined and processed in New Delhi. The "e-Emergency X-Misc visa" will initially be valid for six months, they said. All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the travel document.

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