41 Keralites stranded in Kabul; state govt seeks Centre's intervention for their safe evacuation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government on Tuesday said at least 41 Malayalis including women and children have been stranded in Taliban-controlled Kabul and requested the Centre to make necessary arrangements for their safe evacuation to the home country.

In the wake of panic calls from the stranded people received at the Department of NORKA, the state-run welfare agency of non-resident Keralites, the government sent letters to the External Affairs Ministry seeking immediate steps for their repatriation.

As directed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, K Elangovan, Principal Secretary to the state government and Harikrishnan Namboothiri K, the CEO of the NORKA, sent separate letters to the Ministry detailing the plight of the stranded Keralites there.

'An estimated 41 Malayalis including women and children working in various companies have requested the government to arrange for their safe evacuation immediately to India,' Elangovan said in the letter.

Some of the messages received by the state government even stated that the Talibans were verifying the identity of the stranded Indians and taking away their passports and other important documents, he said.

The letter also said that a 'huge threat is hanging on the life of the Malayalis'.

Earlier, Namboothiri contacted some of the stranded Malayalis in Kabul and said steps were on to trace whether more Keralites were trapped in the Afghanistan capital.

The NORKA has already passed the information they received to the External Affairs Ministry, government sources added.