Afghanistan: PM Modi Chairs CCS Meeting; Top Officials, Ministers Present

Those present in the meeting also include NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, as also India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, who returned to India on Tuesday itself.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, August 17, chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security against the backdrop of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The Cabinet Committee on Security is the apex government body that deals with the issues of national security.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the meeting, besides senior officials.

While official sources confirmed the meeting, but there was no word on what transpired there.

Also read: India Should Have Kept Its Embassy in Kabul Open

Sources said those present in the meeting also included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, as also India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, who returned to India on Tuesday itself.

India has brought back the Indian ambassador and all staff members from its embassy in Kabul in two military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension and deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital after its takeover by the Taliban.

A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought back from Kabul around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians on Tuesday. Another flight had evacuated around 40 staffers from Kabul on Monday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the MEA said that the immediate priority for the government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan.