Resume passenger flights to Kabul: Taliban regime urges India

New Delhi, Sep 29: Taiban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has written to DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation)urging India to resume commercial flights to Afghanistan (Kabul). Letter is under review by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

In a letter dated September 7, 2021, CAA''s Acting Minister Alhaj Hameedullah Akhunzada requested the DGCA to permit commercial flights of Ariana Afghan airline and Kam Air between India and Afghanistan.

"As you are well informed that recently the Kabul airport was damaged and (left) dysfunctional by American troops before their withdrawal," the letter said.

"The intention of this letter is to keep the smooth passenger movement between two countries based on signed MoU and our national carriers (Ariana Afghan airline and Kam Air) aim to commence their scheduled flights," it added.

Therefore, Afghanistan CAA requests you to facilitate their commercial flights, it said.

"The civil aviation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan avails its highest assurance," the letter concluded.

India had stopped all commercial flight operations to Kabul post 15 August.

On Sep 15, Pakistan's national flag-carrier PIA ran its first commercial flight to Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August.

It took foreign journalists to Kabul and returned with a team of World Bank and international media organisations.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US'' complete troop withdrawal on August 31 after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE.

The Taliban insurgents stormed across Afghanistan and captured all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

Thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners have fled the country to escape the new Taliban regime and to seek asylum in different nations, including the US and many European nations, resulting in total chaos and deaths.