Not just flights, Taliban writes to India to resume Afghan students scholarships
1 min read 30 Sep 2021, 08:36 AM ISTSuch demands from the Taliban have come when the central government indicated it was in no hurry to recognise the interim cabinet created by them
PremiumThe Taliban has been reaching out to the Indian government to explore the possibility of resumption of commercial flight operations between the two countries. Besides, they have also asked the Indian government to resume scholarships for Afghan students, according to a report in Hindustan Times.
Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has written a letter to DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) for the resumption of commercial flights to Afghanistan (Kabul). India had stopped all commercial flight operations to Kabul post 15 August after the Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan.
Such demands from the Taliban have come when the central government indicated it was in no hurry to recognise the interim cabinet created by the Taliban.
According to the daily, Taliban officials such as acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi have reached out to India to take up issues such as travel by Afghan students who have secured scholarships offered by the Indian government.
Muttaqi has been keen that Afghan students holding scholarships, should be allowed to travel to India. However, the Indian side is in no hurry to respond to the Taliban immediately especially at a time when no other country has established official relations with the dispensation in Kabul.
This week, the Taliban government in Afghanistan appealed for international flights to be resumed, promising full cooperation with airlines and saying that problems at Kabul airport had been resolved.
A limited number of aid and passenger flights have been operating from the airport. But normal commercial services have yet to resume since it was closed in the wake of the chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of foreigners and vulnerable Afghans that followed the Taliban's seizure of the capital.
The airport, which was damaged during the evacuation, has since been reopened with the assistance of technical teams from Qatar and Turkey.
