India’s Afghan Sikh 2021 Evacuation Plan Derailed By Canadian Antics: What Really Happened?

A Canadian media report suggesting that former Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan placed the Afghan Sikh community on a priority evacuation list over other Canadian nationals and Afghans linked to Canada following the fall of Kabul has sparked interest in Raisina Hill.

This report is believed to shed light on some of the unexpected obstacles faced by the Indian evacuation mission in August 2021, which exposed Hindu and Sikh minorities to danger at Kabul airport, according to informed sources.

India's Afghan Sikh 2021 Evacuation Plan Derailed - Here's What Happened?

The Indian evacuation flight was reportedly delayed at Kabul airport due to unforeseen instructions from the Canadian Sikh minister, whose father was associated with the World Sikh Organisation. Chaos was already unfolding at the airport following the Taliban's capture of Kabul on August 15, 2021, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The Canadian media outlet Globe & Mail reported last week that Sajjan specifically conveyed the need for the immediate evacuation of Afghan Sikhs, who were not previously a priority for the Canadian military. Sajjan, currently serving as the Minister of Emergency Preparedness in Justin Trudeau's cabinet, has denied these allegations.

According to high-ranking Indian government officials who requested anonymity, the evacuation of an Afghan Sikh group (estimated to be between 22 and 40 individuals) from the Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul to the airport was scheduled for the night of August 20-21.

This evacuation, part of Operation Devi Shakti, was complicated due to the need for a security convoy to navigate heavily armed checkpoints controlled by various militias while the Kabul airport was under the control of withdrawing U.S. forces, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Contrary to the agreed plan, the Afghan Sikh group, instead of heading directly to the airport to board an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft to Delhi, deviated and went to the Canadian mission in Kabul. This deviation was reportedly due to instructions from Harjit Sajjan, who, through a Canada-based Sikh NGO, had assured the Karte Parwan group that they would be taken to Canada.

Concurrently, instructions were given to the Canadian Special Forces to prioritize the evacuation of Afghan Sikhs over Canadian nationals and other Afghans who had assisted Canada's occupation forces in Afghanistan, as per media reports. Due to the high demand for landing slots at Kabul airport and the deteriorating security situation, Indian missions in Delhi and Kabul became concerned about the safety of the Afghan Sikh group, which had not arrived at the airport at the designated time and remained out of contact for over two hours.

Upon inquiring about the group's whereabouts, Indian officials at the airport were informed that the Justin Trudeau government had assured the Afghan Sikh community that they would be evacuated to Canada from Kabul. This assurance led to a delay in the scheduled evacuation flight to Delhi, endangering the lives of other evacuees as the situation in Kabul continued to deteriorate with ongoing violence.

However, the Sikh group, despite assurances, could not be evacuated by the Trudeau government and subsequently sought evacuation assistance from the Narendra Modi government. The group, including a former female Afghan MP, was eventually evacuated on August 22, 2021, aboard a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft, according to the officials cited.

Under Operation Devi Shakti, India successfully evacuated a total of 669 people from Afghanistan, including 206 members of the Afghan Hindu and Sikh minority communities. The government operated seven flights between August 16, 2021, and December 10, 2021, and also evacuated 15 foreign nationals on Indian Air Force aircraft operating from Delhi and the Ayni airbase in Tajikistan.

On August 23, 2021, three copies (swaroops) of the holy Guru Granth Sahib were brought to India from gurdwaras in Kabul, and on December 10, 2021, two swaroops of the Sikh scripture along with several ancient Hindu manuscripts were brought to India, along with multiple Afghan Sikh and Hindu evacuees.