Afghan crisis: India’s secularism should not precede national security

New Delhi, Aug 25: In the past week scores of Afghan nationals have come into India. With the situation turning from bad to worse following a takeover by the Taliban, several persons from the country have been coming into India.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the government made e-Visas mandatory for Afghan nationals coming into India.

The Centre has said that all Afghan nationals must travel to India on e-visas only. All previous visas have been invalidated in the wake of the evolving situation in Afghanistan following a take-over by the Taliban.

It is has become amply clear that Pakistan had played a major role in the victory of Afghanistan. Security experts have warned that Pakistan may take advantage of the current situation and may look to send in rogue elements into India from Afghanistan.

Officials specialising in counter-terrorism tell Oneindia that everyone coming in from Afghanistan has to be thoroughly screened. If that is not done, we will face a problem of plenty, the officer also added.

We need to be very particular while screening the Afghan Muslims and Sikhs too. In fact everyone coming in from Afghanistan has to be screened. You do not know if he is a Pakistan element, stooge and how Islamabad would use while aiding their infiltration, the official added. There could be some elements who could be sent in to set up radicalisation camps as we never know who is working for whom, the officer cited above also added.

Once they come in, the agencies need to keep a constant watch over them and not let them off the radar. In the next one year, we will find out if the new government in Afghanistan will accept refugees or not.

Officials suggest while we must lend a helping hand to those in need, we also should not become over-generous. A tough approach has to be taken. There is bound to be criticism stating that this approach is un-democratic, but the key is not to get influenced by these people. What matters more is nature security and the future of India and not the statements made by certain elements, the official explains.

While dealing with a situation such as this, the broader picture should be India's security and not appeasement and secularism as when it comes to national security all these factors are irrelevant.

India has so far evacuated over 800 people from Afghanistan. The ongoing operation is called 'Operation Devi Shakthi.' India will be evacuating more people including its own nationals. Several Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from Kabul will also be evacuated.