An Indian evacuation plane was delayed because Afghan Sikhs decided to go to the Canadian Mission in Kabul instead of heading to the airport. According to a Canadian media report, former Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan prioritized the evacuation of Afghan Sikhs over other Canadian nationals and Afghans linked to Canada after Kabul fell. This report has raised interest in India, as it sheds light on unexpected hurdles during the Indian evacuation mission in August 2021. The chaos at Kabul airport after the Taliban took over on August 15, 2021, exposed Hindu and Sikh minorities to danger, partly due to the Canadian minister’s unexpected instructions. Sajjan’s father was reportedly a board member of the World Sikh Organization.
The Canadian Globe & Mail reported that Sajjan, now the minister of emergency preparedness, ordered the immediate evacuation of Afghan Sikhs. He has denied these allegations. Indian officials, speaking anonymously, said the evacuation of an Afghan Sikh group from the Karte Parwan Gurdwara to the airport was scheduled for the night of August 20-21. The operation, named Operation Devi Shakti, was complex, involving a security convoy through armed checkpoints while the airport was controlled by US forces.
However, instead of going straight to the airport to board the Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster to Delhi, the Afghan Sikh group went to the Canadian mission in Kabul. This was because Sajjan had instructed them, through a Canada-based Sikh NGO, that they would be taken to Canada. Canadian Special Forces were also instructed to prioritize the evacuation of Afghan Sikhs over Canadian nationals and Afghans who had helped Canada.
With limited landing slots at Kabul airport and worsening security, Indian officials were worried when the Afghan Sikh group did not arrive on time and was unreachable for over two hours. They later learned that the Canadian government had assured the Afghan-Sikh community they would be evacuated to Canada. This caused a delay in the Indian evacuation flight to Delhi, putting other evacuees at risk.
Despite Canadian assurances, the Sikh group was not evacuated by the Trudeau government and sought help from the Indian government again. They were finally evacuated on August 22, 2021, on a C-17 aircraft.
Under Operation Devi Shakti, India evacuated 669 people from Afghanistan, including 206 Afghan Hindu and Sikh minorities. The government operated seven flights between August 16, 2021, and December 10, 2021, and also evacuated 15 foreign nationals. On August 23, 2021, three copies (swaroops) of the holy Guru Granth Sahib were brought to India from Kabul gurdwaras, and on December 10, 2021, two swaroops of the Sikh scripture and some ancient Hindu manuscripts were brought to India along with several Afghan Sikh and Hindu evacuees.
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