Indian revocation of visas to Afghan students to create wedge between India and Afghanistan.
India was among the most eager nations that closed their missions in Afghanistan, suspended flights between New Delhi and Kabul, and halted bank payments to the Afghan government. Can India’s renewed friendly and humanitarian overtures towards Afghans be trusted?
An Afghanistan-sympathetic India has revoked Afghan student visas despite knowing that thousands of Afghan students are dependent on its universities whereas, contrary to this, Pakistan has offered 4,500 fully-funded scholarships to Afghan students in addition to already existing ones.
Out of an estimated 14,000 Afghan students currently enrolled in 73 Indian universities, about 2,500 have been restrained.
Since August 2021, out of 60,000 Afghan applications, India has granted less than 300 e-visas and that too to Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.
In addition to repression at home, drained finances, and visa woes, Afghan students face the apathy of Indian universities. Although Afghan students have paid their dues, students’ cells at various Indian universities have cut contact with their Afghan students.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar’s claimed that nobody can doubt India’s feelings for Afghan people. He added that visa issuance will be restarted once certain level of trust and efficiency is achieved with Afghanistan, which speak volumes for Indian hypocrisy.
Afghan students enrolled in India claim that authorities in Indian universities often accuse them of being potential drug peddlers and terrorists.
Promote Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay’s response to the New Delhi’s concerns about security wherein he said that “No Afghan citizen has ever carried out any major terror attack in another country, so these students should not be unnecessarily suspected on security grounds”.
India has granted 950 scholarships for the upcoming 2022-23 session to only those Afghan students who are already in India for studies, Afghan refugees from 1996-2001 or those Afghans who came to India before August 2021.
Recently, Afghanistan cricketer Asghar Afghan’s Indian visa has been delayed just because his passport has been stamped with Pakistani visa and his family members also live there. Contrary to this, Pakistan government had granted visas to the Afghanistan squad ahead of September 2021 ODI series in Sri Lanka because they were unable to board flights from their own country due to the Taliban takeover.
India has granted 950 scholarships for the upcoming 2022-23 session to only those Afghan students who are already in India for studies.
Indian universities often accuse us of being potential drug peddlers and terrorists-Afghan students.
