NEW DELHI: India has started the process of evacuating its 22 embassy personnel from strife-tom Kabul. The first batch of embassy staff is understood to have reached New Delhi. While details were not available of the number of people who were brought back, it is believed that most of them were junior officials in the mission. The Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Vijay Nambiar, is still in Kabul along with some senior diplomats. The embassy is therefore still functional, A decision on whether or not to close it down will depend on the situation on the ground which being closely monitored by the government here. Two weeks of heavy fighting in Kabul have prompted several countries to shut their missions in Afghanistan. The latest to do $0 were France, Italy and Bulgaria whose diplomats left the Afghanistan Capital. The Egyptian Ambassador in Kabul and five Czech diplomats also fled Kabul the same day crossing over into Pakistan to escape.
The decision to thin down Indian presence in Kabul was taken after a rocket hit the embassy building, Causing partial damage, one of the staff members were injured but {wo visitors to the mission were hurt. The Pakistan embassy building was also hit by a rocket.
Two weeks of continuous fighting between Hezb-i-Islami loyalists and government troops have destroyed virtually the entire infrastructure in the Afghan Capital, There is Practically no power, water or food in the city and heavy shelling by the rival Groups has turned the streets into a death trap, forcing residents to stay indoors, Sikh and Hindu migrants to Afghanistan have been fleeing Kabul in hundreds after being singled out for attack by marauding bands on the streets. The Pakistan mission in Afghanistan has been besieged by terrified members of the minorities communities seeking safe passage through Pakistan to India, Recently the Pakistan embassy issued 1,600 visas.
Indian diplomats in Kabul are in close touch with their Pakistan counterparts as well as with diplomat of other countries. India and Pakistan had discussed the situation in Afghanistan in detail during recent Foreign Secretary level talks and voiced similar concerns about the infighting between various groups which has resulted in months of violence in and around the Capital city.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1992
