Chandigarh, Sep 25 (PTI) The “last batch” of 55 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus landed in Delhi on Sunday evening, AAP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said the Ministry of External Affairs had earlier granted e-visas to this batch of Afghan minorities and their repatriation was facilitated by both Indian and Afghanistan governments.
A special aircraft had been arranged by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, to bring 38 adults and 17 children, including three infants, Sahney had earlier said in a statement.
“With the grace of god, the last batch of 55 Sikhs and Hindu refugees from #Afghanistan landed in New Delhi safely Thanks to @MEAIndia for issuing E visas & facilitating evacuation. We will rehabilitate them under our programme #MyFamilyMyResponsibilty. Also Thanks to @SGPCAmritsar,” Sahney said in a tweet.
Earlier, in his statement, Sahney had said, “We are in continuous touch with the Ministry of External Affairs for the evacuation of this last batch which is stranded there.” “We have been coordinating the repatriation and rehabilitation of the Afghan refugees and will continue to support these families by providing them free housing, giving them monthly household expenses, providing them skills, medical insurance and educating their youth,” said Sahney, who is the chairman of the Sun Foundation and also the president of World Punjabi Organisation.
He had also said that under his organisation’s ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ programme, 543 Afghan Sikhs and Hindu families have already been rehabilitated in west Delhi.
A congregation was held at the Arjun Nagar gurdwara in West Delhi in the evening to welcome the refugees, the AAP MP said. PTI SUN VSD DIV DIV
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