Home Ministry will prioritize visa process for Afghan Hindus & Sikhs

 According to information derived directly from the source, the Ministry of Home Affairs will prioritise the visa process for Afghan Hindus/Sikhs under the new "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa". It will be processed quickly so they can travel to India as soon as possible.

Although the new visa category has been open to all Afghan nationals, it was made after reports that more than 200 Sikhs had been living in Gurudwara in Kabul and Hindus were being held back at their homes since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15. This issue was also raised at Tuesday's meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security, which was chaired on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The External Affairs Ministry stated that the government's priority was to evacuate all Indians who are still there, and also to ensure security for Hindus and Sikhs.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar also stated that an "Afghanistan Cell" has been established in the Ministry to monitor the situation. The Indian authorities are in constant contact with the leaders of the Hindu and Sikh communities in Kabul.

The Ministry of Home Affairs introduced Tuesday a new electronic visa category to expedite visa applications for India. This category will grant an emergency visa for Afghani nationals within six months. However, security clearance will be required before the visa can be issued.