As violence in several parts of Afghanistan has escalated, and with Taliban fighters poised to enter the capital city of Kabul, the world is worried about the emerging situation in the war-ravaged country.

Various countries are making special arrangements for the safety of their citizens. Some, including the US, India, and the UK, have already begun rescuing their citizens from Afghanistan.

Our neighboring country India, too, has started rescuing its citizens by special aircraft. Ironically, the Government of Nepal seems to be dispassionate about the condition of the Nepalis in Afghanistan.

The government should be knowing that violence in Afghanistan has escalated since the announcement of the withdrawal of foreign troops, including the US army, who had been stationed there for years.

The Taliban, which appears to get the support of the Pashtuns, and some international powers, have seized control of more than 25 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces in less than two weeks.

A question to the government: If the Taliban continued to ravage the country, will the Nepalis working there as security guards in different missions and other places remain safe? Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to protect the lives of the Nepalis in Afghanistan?

If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ data is to be considered, as many as 1,500 Nepalis are working in Kabul, Afghanistan. It also said that the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi has already sent the details of the Nepalis residing in Kabul to the ministry.

Most of the Nepalis have been working with the UN missions and embassies of different countries. According to the Nepali Embassy in Delhi, former Nepali security personnel have been deployed at the United Nations and its affiliated offices, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, Norway, and the Australian Embassy.

Most of the Nepalis have reached Afghanistan through both formal as well as informal channels. For example, there are Nepalis in Kandahar and other cities that have been captured by the Taliban. The biggest irony is that the government does not have statistics on how many Nepalis have reached Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML lawmaker Khagaraj Adhikari had last week raised the issue and drew the government’s attention to bring Nepalis back to Nepal while speaking at the House of Representatives.

The government, meanwhile, has neither considered it necessary to issue a formal statement about the situation of Nepali citizens in Afghanistan nor has issued an appeal or sought any reassurance on the issue.

Ironically, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is sans a Minister for about a month now.

The safety of Nepalis in Afghanistan is first and foremost. The government should act immediately by collecting and making effective plans for their rescue since the condition of the Nepalis in Iraq is still afresh in the minds of the Nepali people. We cannot tolerate another untoward circumstance.

Editor