Artists, cultural personalities, academicians, and professionals intending to visit India to participate in cultural events or activities sponsored by reputed institutions for short duration without remuneration may apply for “entry visa”, it is said on the portal.“Children from previous marriages of an Afghan national, who is presently married to an Indian Citizen/Person of Indian Origin/OCI cardholder” may also apply under this category.Afghans, who own property in India, dependent parents of a student visiting India for higher education and parents of a student below the age of 18 may also apply for entry visas, it said.Under the “business” category, sportspersons and coaches – including those engaged in commercial sports events in India, on contracts with remuneration – may also seek India visa.Those Afghan nationals, who want to come to India to establish an industrial or business venture and to those required to travel frequently on long-term business activities, as well as for investors and their dependents, are permitted to apply.Visas to Afghan nationals were suspended by the Indian government after the Taliban took over the administration in Afghanistan in August 2021. On August 17 of that year, an “e-Emergency X-Miscellaneous visa” facility was put in place for stranded Afghan citizens, but most such visas were only granted to those from the Hindu and Sikh communities.It is to be noted here on May 15, India made the first ministerial outreach in Kabul when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. That conversation came days after the Taliban administration, which India has yet to officially recognise, condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
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