A 13-year-old Afghan boy’s “curiosity” led him to stow away in the landing gear compartment of a Kabul-Delhi flight, according to a PTI report.

The boy managed to travel undetected on KAM Airlines flight number RQ-4401, which landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport around 11 am on Sunday.

‘Did it out of curiosity’

The teenager, said to be from Kunduz city, was spotted roaming near the aircraft after it touched down. He was apprehended by airline personnel and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who brought him to Terminal 3 for questioning.

During interrogation, the boy reportedly told officials he sneaked into Kabul airport and hid inside the rear central landing gear compartment of the aircraft. He said he did this “out of curiosity,” PTI quoted sources as saying.

2-hour flight at 36,000 feet

The boy endured the two-hour journey from Kabul to Delhi at an altitude of over 36,000 feet inside the cramped landing gear compartment, officials said.

Repatriated to Afghanistan

After questioning, the teenager was deported on the same aircraft back to Kabul on Sunday itself, PTI reported.

Following the incident, KAM Airlines security officials conducted a detailed inspection of the aircraft’s landing gear compartment. A small red-coloured speaker, believed to belong to the boy, was recovered. The aircraft was later cleared after thorough anti-sabotage checks, authorities confirmed. (Gulf News)

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Twenty Sikhs from Afghanistan have been granted Indian citizenship under the  “Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an official said on Wednesday.

These 20 persons were part of the first group of Afghan Sikhs who had applied for citizenship online nearly 100 days ago, the official said.

Senior BJP leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal praised the Union government and said the applications of these Sikhs were pending since 2010.

Many Sikhs have now petitioned the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to migrate their applications from the 1955 Act to CAA, as, under the latter, the chances of getting citizenship are better.

He said they came to India in 1992 but continued to live here on an LTV, which was being renewed every two years.

“Under the parent Act, multiple authorities, including the state government officials, were involved. However, under CAA, the role of the state government has been obliterated, so the applications could be processed quickly.

He said as CAA was opposed by many states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, in order to bypass the role of the state government in implementing the law, MHA notified committees headed by Census and postal department officials were looking into the issue. (UNI)

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India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, has reiterated the country’s “unwavering commitment” to the people of Afghanistan, emphasising the need for continued international attention and support for the country, which is already combating obstacles like terrorism and natural disasters.

“As a contiguous neighbour to Afghanistan, a friend to its people, and as a country with direct stakes in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan, allow me to place the following observations before the council,” stated Kamboj on Wednesday while briefing the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.

She highlighted the ongoing concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, expressing particular worry about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions exacerbated by natural disasters such as the earthquake in October 2023.

Over 320 people were killed and hundreds wounded in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit western Afghanistan in October earlier this year, according to the United Nations.

“The situation in Afghanistan is still one of concern. The deteriorating humanitarian situation, compounded by natural disasters such as the earthquake of October 2023, have had a devastating impact on the lives of the people,” said India’s permanent representative to the UN while highlighting the ongoing issues about the situation in Afghanistan.

Kamboj stressed the importance of the international community not losing focus on Afghanistan during these challenging times.

India’s permanent representative acknowledged the report submitted by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioglu, mandated by UNSC Resolution 2679, and noted the recommendations contained in the report.

She affirmed India’s commitment to actively engage with other partners to achieve the ultimate goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan. “As a longstanding partner to the Afghan people, India will continue to engage actively with other partners with the ultimate objective of securing peace and stability in the country.”

Kamboj outlined key points for the international community’s approach towards Afghanistan, aligning with the benchmarks set by the Security Council through Resolution 2593.

“India already partners with several UN agencies on the ground and will continue to do so for the welfare of the people of Afghanistan. Two, the benchmarks set by the Security Council through its resolution 2593 continue to guide the international community’s approach towards Afghanistan. Our common and immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people, formation of an inclusive and representative government structure, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities,” she added.

“Humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan needs to be prioritised given the distressing humanitarian situation in the country,” she asserted, highlighting India’s efforts in this regard.

Kamboj shared that India has delivered material humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and continues to offer educational scholarships for Afghan students. India has also partnered with various UN agencies, including the UN World Food Programme and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, in their humanitarian endeavours.

In September earlier this year, India confirmed to have sent supplies to Afghanistan in the Interactive Dialogue on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan at the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council.

“In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and urgent appeals by UN agencies, India has delivered 50,000 MTs of wheat, 28 tonnes of disaster relief, and 200 tonnes of medicines, vaccines and other medical items,” India said in a statement earlier.

Concluding her address, Kamboj restated India’s unwavering commitment to the people of Afghanistan and expressed India’s intention to remain actively involved in supporting the Afghan people. With the potential mandate renewal of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in March of the following year, Kamboj expressed India’s eagerness to collaborate closely with the pen holders and share its perspectives as a neighbouring country to Afghanistan.

Already grappling with poverty, Afghanistan found itself sinking further into destitution due to international isolation and the economic turmoil triggered by the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported a staggering increase in poverty, with 97 per cent of Afghans living below the poverty line, a stark rise from 47 per cent in 2020, according to Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organisation focused on human rights with its headquarters in the United Kingdom.

The Afghan economy continued to suffer from the freezing of foreign reserves and the reduction of development assistance, punitive actions taken by the international community in response to the Taliban’s ascent.

The Taliban regime imposed increasingly draconian restrictions on women’s rights, stifled media freedom, and curtailed freedom of expression.

The latest issue troubling Afghanistan is the deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan. As many as 4,35,152 Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan since November 1, and the National Action Plan’s apex committee has set a deadline for all foreign nationals residing illegally in the country to leave voluntarily by October 31 or face deportation. (ANI)

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The International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Islamic Relief Worldwide, CARE, Intersos, and some other organisations have highlighted the urgent situation of 5,00,000 individuals who have returned to Afghanistan and are facing critical needs for food, shelter, and employment during the winter, TOLO News reported.

In response, these organisations are urging the international community to enhance support for the families returning to Afghanistan.

“Since the economic situation of Afghanistan is unfortunately dire and a large number of Afghan immigrants enter the country in the winter season, the aid of the international community must be focused on the people of Afghanistan,” TOLO News quoted Abdul Zahur Mudabir, an economist, as saying.

Meanwhile, certain repatriated immigrants have conveyed that they find themselves in challenging circumstances and are calling for increased attention from the interim government.

“They have helped us in Torkham with 10,000 Afghanis, and my family is huge, and the money will not even cover my expenses for a week,” said Mohammad Nayeem, a refugee.

“We request that the Islamic Emirate provide job opportunities for Afghan youth so that they do not travel to other countries because it is very controversial,” said Dawood, a refugee.

The Ministry of Economy has committed to offering essential aid to recently repatriated immigrants.

“The Islamic Emirate has organised various committees for our refugees in the areas of health, shelter, accommodation, and job creation, and we call on international aid organisations to help us in this regard,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy of the Economy Ministry.

Earlier, some aid agencies expressed concern about the dire situation of Afghan immigrants in the country. Aid agencies have underscored that the deportees need increasing assistance, TOLO News reported. (ANI)

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If India, Russia and China had a consensus on the situation in Afghanistan, then the Taliban would face a lot of regional pressure, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay has said.

In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, the envoy — appointed by the former Ashraf Ghani government in 2020 — called on regional players like India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran to be “unified” on Afghanistan. He added that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval’s expected visit to Moscow this month to hold a regional dialogue on Afghanistan is a step in the right direction.

“The region also has a responsibility. Sadly, that’s not happening. We have important, powerful countries in the region including India, China, Russia as well as Pakistan and Iran. They need to be unified,” said Mamundzay.

“If we had Russia, China and India on the same page, there is a lot of regional pressure that the Taliban would face. That is not the case today but the visit of the NSA to Moscow is in the right direction,” added the envoy.

This month, top security officials of India, Pakistan, China and central Asian countries are expected to meet in Moscow for a regional discussion on Afghanistan.

Last May, multilateral consultations on Afghanistan between top security officials were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Afghan ambassador expressed optimism about India’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), adding that the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group established in 2005 is the type of “intensive engagement” needed at this time. He further warned that there are terror groups in Afghanistan protected and supported by Taliban who have “regional and international ambitions”. 

On 16 September last year, India took over the rotating presidency of the eight-member SCO, comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. (The Print)

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