Indonesia moves Afghan diplomatic mission to Pakistan, evacuates dozens

An Indonesian Airforce personnel helps a girl down the stairs of the aircraft as Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, arrive at Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 21, 2021. (REUTERS)

• Four Indonesian diplomats in the Pakistan-based mission will assess the situation in Afghanistan to determine next steps
• The World Bank has also evacuated its Kabul-based staff and their immediate families to Pakistan

JAKARTA: Indonesia has moved its Afghanistan diplomatic mission from Kabul to Pakistan, its foreign minister said on Saturday, after its air force evacuated dozens in the wake of the Taliban’s seizure of power.
“Temporarily, the diplomatic mission in Kabul will be done from Islamabad,” Retno Marsudi said in televised remarks at the Halim military airport in Jakarta.
The initial plan had been to “continue our diplomatic mission in Kabul with a small team” but changed due to a “new development,” which she did not specify. She did not take questions.
The Kabul airport has been the site of chaos in recent days, with thousands of desperate Afghans trying to flee as they clutched papers, children and belongings, as people from other countries also sought to leave after US and other foreign troops withdrew.
Retno called for a “an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned inclusive political process” that will bring peace and stability in the country, and for women’s rights to be upheld.
Four Indonesian diplomats in the Pakistan-based mission will assess the situation in Afghanistan daily to determine next steps, she said.
An operation for Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, to fly home its nationals, including embassy staff and children, took longer than anticipated due to the situation at the Kabul airport, she said.
Indonesia also picked up five Filipinos at the request of their government and two Afghan nationals, Retno said.
At least 12 people have been killed since the Islamist insurgents took the capital on Sunday, NATO and Taliban officials said.
According to an internal staff memo issued on Friday and seen by Reuters, the World Bank Group’s Kabul-based staff and their immediate families have also been safely evacuated to Islamabad.
The World Bank has not commented on the status of its operations and engagement in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control of Kabul earlier this week.
A report by Radio Pakistan said that foreigners and Afghans attached to the World Bank and other international organizations were among 350 people to arrive in Islamabad from Kabul aboard a special Pakistan International Airlines flight.