The Centre on Wednesday said all Afghan nationals must travel to India only on an e-Visa owing to the evolving security situation in Afghanistan.

The government said that the introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa has streamlined the application process, thus it has been decided to make the e-Visa mandatory for all Afghan nationals coming to India.

"Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan, all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa," the Ministry said in a statement.

India had announced an emergency e-visa for Afghan nationals who want to come to the country in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the 'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa' online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.

Previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, not presently in India, stand invalid with immediate effect, the government declared. It added that the decision was taken keeping in view reports that surfaced, indicating that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced.

An official release issued by the ministry of external affairs pointed to the authorised visa application portal of the Indian government.

"Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in," the government release stated.

Meanwhile, a total of 16 out of the 78 evacuees from Afghanistan who landed in Delhi on Tuesday have tested positive for Covid-19. They include three Afghan Sikhs who carried the 'swaroops' of Guru Granth Sahib. As a measure of precaution, all 78 evacuees have been quarantined.

All the evacuees coming from Afghanistan will have to undergo quarantine for 14 days at the ITBP quarantine centre at Chhawla in southwest Delhi, according to the guidelines of the Health Ministry.

The toddler who is less than four months old, Iknoor Singh and his parents are evacuated by Indian Authorities as a special case in the ongoing evacuation operation.

Those from the Afghan-Sikh community coordinating and supporting families shared that Iknoor’s paper work for travel happened in transit and the child was allowed to enter India with his parents with formalities completed at the Hindon airbase where officials of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office were camped.

The child’s father, Kerpal Singh, his wife and three children were part of the group of evacuees, who arrived on Sunday on board the C-17 heavy-lift military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Like Iknoor, among those likely to arrive in the next flight being operated are two more infants — one born on August 11 and another born in May.

Amid the ongoing chaos and unrest in Afghanistan, the Indian government is continuously engaged in evacuating Indian nationals stranded in the war-torn nation.

Till Tuesday evening, India had brought over 800 people from Afghanistan as part of the evacuation mission that began on August 16, a day after Kabul fell to the Taliban.

Thousands of Afghans have been crowding around the Kabul airport for nearly a week, in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban's brutality.

India is carrying out the evacuation missions in coordination with the US and several other friendly countries.

Image source: Mint