KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 30
An additional 32 Nepalis stranded in war-torn Afghanistan arrived in Kathmandu today.
They were rescued with the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.
All the rescued Nepalis had first flown to Iran from Afghanistan a few days ago.
Later, they flew to Qatar yesterday.
Today, all the rescued Nepalis landed at Tribhuvan International Airport aboard the National flag bearer, Nepal Airlines.
All the 32 rescued people had scattered throughout Kabul, making their evacuation difficult for the government.
Lately, the government and foreign employment companies jointly managed to provide a safe place in small groups prior to their evacuation, as per the MOFA. In a press release issued today, the MoFA said all the rescued people had unofficially entered Afghanistan without securing foreign employment permit from the government.
All the stranded Nepalis, apart from some Nepalis working at the offices of the United Nations and its agencies in Kabul, have been rescued successfully, according to the MoFA. “The UN agencies had agreed to send back the Nepali workers working for them if they find any threat to their lives there in Kabul,” it said. The UN has continued to work in important humanitarian and development works in Kabul.
But, the government is still not sure about the number of such Nepalis working for the UN agencies there.
The MoFA had been working to trace the Nepalis working at various parts of Afghanistan after the country was taken over by the Islamic hardliner, Taliban on August 15. Almost all the countries and development partners had left the country in a dramatic manner after the US and some other western countries withdrew its military support from the country.
Since then, a total of 940 Nepalis have been rescued and flown back to Nepal.
The rescue operation is largely being carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Consular Services, Nepali embassies in various countries, various development partners, UN agencies and with direct support from various countries such as India, the US, Pakistan, UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, Qatar, Iran, UAE, among others.
The ministry also asked the Nepalis stranded in Afghanistan to fill an online form or call a hotline number for their rescue.
Upon successfully repatriating all the Nepalis, the government has extended appreciations to all those who helped in the process.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 31, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.