Afghan Female MP deported from Delhi airport

Ground Report | New Delhi: Afghan Female MP deported; A female Afghan MP claims that she was deported from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on 20 August. Rangina Kargar arrived at the national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport on a Fly Dubai flight from Istanbul in early 20 August. Rangina Kargar is a member of the Jirga, where she represents Faryab Province.

According to the Indian Express, the woman MP had reached Delhi on August 20 on a Fly Dubai flight from Istanbul. She told that she holds a diplomatic/official passport, which allows visa-free travel under the agreement with India.

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Afghan Female MP deported

Rangina Kargar told The Indian Express that she had traveled to India several times on this passport and was allowed to come every time. But this time the immigration officials asked her to stop and when she asked the reason, the officials told her that she would have to talk to his superiors.

On 19 August itself, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that India's focus would be on preserving the historic relationship with Afghanistan and its people. Express quoted sources in the Ministry of External Affairs as saying that they were not aware of the Rangina Kargar case.

Rangina told that after being stopped at Delhi airport for two hours, she was sent back to Istanbul via Dubai on the same airline flight. Kargar, a Member of Parliament since 2010, told the Indian Express, "I was deported. I was treated like a criminal. I got my passport back in Istanbul, not Dubai."

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'Never Expected this from Gandhiji's India'

"What happened to me in Delhi was not good. The situation has changed in Kabul and I hope the Indian government will help the Afghan women. I was not given any reason for the deportation" Rangina said.

Kargar told that she had a doctor's appointment at a hospital in South Delhi on 20 August and a return ticket to Istanbul on 22 August was booked.

The woman MP said, "I never expected this from Gandhi's India. We have always been friends, strategic and historical relations of India. But this time they treated a woman and MP like this."

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