Indian Embassy in Kabul safe, operational; salary of local staff disbursed

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], September 3 : Indian embassy in Kabul is currently safe and operational said an official adding that the Government of India has also disbursed the salary of local employees on time.
"Maintenance charges and the salaries of local staff in the Indian embassy in Kabul is being given on time by the Government of India," a top government official told ANI.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is also receiving communication from the Kabul embassy regularly and it was ensured by the staff that the embassy was also secure.
The report suggests that banks in Kabul are not operational fully due to ongoing tension, therefore, the embassy staff may face trouble in withdrawing the money.
"Some of Indians are left in Afghanistan (Kabul) and the government is making an effort for their safe evacuation but Kabul airport is shut and plane movement is also barred by the Taliban," the official said.
Re-evacuation operations from Kabul are likely soon for the remaining Indians who are stranded in Kabul. For this, Delhi is in constant touch with Kabul as well as the Indian Embassy staff, MEA added.
The ministry has not yet replied to the question of how many employees are present in the Indian Embassy in Kabul as the situation remains hostile.
"The return of diplomats and embassy officials from India to Kabul depends on how the new Taliban government and assurances communicate," the official said.
India has evacuated over 550 people either from Kabul or Dushanbe. "Of these, over 260 were Indians. The government of India also facilitated the evacuation of Indian nationals through other agencies. We were in touch with various countries, like the US, Tajikistan," a MEA spokesperson had earlier stated.