India would grant six months e-visa to Afghan soldiers and cadets being trained in the different military academies in the country after they complete their courses in different military academies. Around 180 Afghan cadets are training in different academies in India.
Around 140 of these Afghan soldiers and cadets have applied for visas for western countries including Canada, England and Germany. A report from ANI stated that while most of the Afghan cadets have applied for asylum in European nations and Canada, many of them also want to stay on in India. These soldiers have been put in touch with agencies who have been working with Afghans already living in the country, government sources said. Earlier, India had allowed around 180 cadets to complete their respective courses in the military academies of defence forces here. The Indian defence forces have been training Afghan soldiers as part of the capacity-building programme. As many as 180 Afghan military personnel are being trained at different institutions, with a bulk of them at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) at Chennai and the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Pune. Defence officers said the training and other expenses of these officers and cadets were being borne by India as part of nation-building efforts in Afghanistan after 2001. The future of these cadets and officers is uncertain as the Afghan army has already surrendered and the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
