Post Report

Nepal has called for safe and orderly departure of all those who wish to leave Afghanistan through roads, airports or border crossings.

Two days after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said that the government of Nepal has been closely following the recent developments in Afghanistan.

“We urge all parties concerned to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the people,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday evening. “Nepal broadly supports the call from the international community to respect and facilitate the safe and orderly departure of all those who wish to leave the country through roads, airports or border crossings and calls upon those in a position to do so for the protection of human life and property and the maintenance of peace, order and stability.”

This is the first statement from the government of Nepal after the Taliban took over Afghanistan ending the United States’ era in the country.

Nepal itself is engaged in evacuating its nationals from Afghanistan after the situation deteriorated from Sunday following the Taliban’s Kabul takeover in a dramatic manner, forcing the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.

There is no exact data on the number of Nepalis living and working in the war-torn country.

On Tuesday, 118 Nepali nationals, however, arrived in Kathmandu via Kuwait with American support, as they were working inside the Embassy of the United States in Kabul. 

The United States announced in April that it would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by September 11.

The Taliban, which had been making gains in several parts of the country, however, managed to rapidly control Kabul on Sunday, creating uncertainty and confusion for foreing nationals.

“Nepal wishes to see lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, a fellow member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation,” read the Foreign Ministry statement. “and the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan joined SAARC in 2007 as the eighth member. Nepal is the current chair of the regional bloc.

Published on: 18 August 2021 | The Kathmandu Post