The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will prioritize the visa process for Afghan Hindus and Sikhs under the newly introduced "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa" and will be processed speedily so that they can visit India at the earliest, according to the information derived from the source.

Though the new category of visa has been opened for all Afghan nationals, the govt’s move came after reports that over 200 Sikhs have been taking safe haven in Gurudwara in Kabul while Hindus are confined to their homes after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15 this year.  The issue was also discussed in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. "The government's priority is to safely evacuate the remaining Indians left there and to also ensure the security of Hindus and Sikhs there as well," the External Affairs Ministry said again on Tuesday.

The External Affair Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has also said that an 'Afghanistan cell' has been created in the Ministry for the constant monitoring of the situation there and the Indian authorities have been in constant touch with the Hindu and Sikh community leaders in Kabul.

The  Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday introduced a new category of electronic visa to fast-track visa applications for entry into India. Under this category, an emergency visa will be given for six months first to the Afghani nationals and that will only be granted after security clearance.

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