The Taliban are learnt to have stopped a batch of 72 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, including two minority members of Afghanistan parliament, from boarding an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane on Saturday. They were sent back from the Kabul airport.

According to Vikramjit Singh Sahney, president of World Punjabi Organisation (WPO), the first batch of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus seeking evacuation to India, had been waiting outside the airport for over 12 hours since Friday.

“Taliban fighters stopped them from boarding the IAF plane and said that since they are Afghans, they must go back. Now the group has safely returned to Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh ji Karte Parwan in Kabul,” said Sahney, adding that minority MPs Narinder Singh Khalsa and Anarkali Kaur Honoryar were a part of the group.