Left, Right & Centre

Despite close links between terrorist groups Taliban and Haqqani Network, the US State Department has said that they are two separate entities. What happens after the August 31 deadline in Afghanistan is uncertain, but the Taliban-Haqqani-Pakistan nexus could prove to be a security challenge for the region in general and India in particular.

Two major explosions were reported in Kabul amid a huge evacuation effort from Afghanistan. One blast occurred at the airport where people were waiting to escape the country, and the second at the Baron hotel near the airport. The Pentagon has confirmed many US and local casualties in what they said were "complex" bombings. It's too early to say who is behind these attacks, but is Afghanistan's next war with the Taliban's enemies and will the ravaged country now become a free for all for terrorists of every affiliation?

India unveiled the Rs 6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline, under which the government will monetise assets by bringing in private sector participation in several key areas - roads, power, airports. The government says that it isn't selling any resources, only encouraging handing over key projects on a time-bound basis. Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, who is spearheading this initiative talks to NDTV on what the policy means.

Union Minister Narayan Rane was arrested for his remark about slapping Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray -- the first Union Minister to be arrested in 20 years. The arrest led to clashes between Sena and BJP workers. BJP leader Fadnavis warned the police, saying, "There should be rule of law, not Taliban rule". The Sena claimed action was taken as per law. We decode the latest BJP-Sena faceoff and its implications.

Afghanistan pop star Aryana Sayeed, who fled to the US after her country was taken over by the Taliban, said she is "heartbroken" to see the condition of all those left behind and "disappointed because Afghanistan has been let down by the world." On the crisis and human tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan, Ms Sayeed, 36, said: "I am upset, sad and disappointed over how Afghanistan has been left alone, and let down by the world. My heart goes out to the millions of innocent people inside Afghanistan who have nowhere to go."

Akali Dal leader Manjinder Sirsa has sought citizenship rights for Afghan immigrants and evacuees. Speaking to NDTV, the president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee stated that without citizenship rights, these people will face multiple hindrances in leading normal lives and that they can't go back either, given the volatile situation in Afghanistan.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched the Centre's ambitious National Monetisation Pipeline which is a four-year pipeline for those infrastructure assets that the government plans to monetise for generating funds. The goal is to finalise Rs 6 lakh crore worth of infrastructure assets, including national highways, mobile towers, stadia, railway stations as well as power grid and pipelines among other key assets. On Left, Right and Centre, we speak to Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Dr. KV Subramanian.

After an ordeal lasting days, hundreds of Indian nationals make it back to the country, including 168 Indians and Afghans onboard an Indian Air Force transport that took off from Kabul. Yesterday, people who boarded this aircraft were taken away by the Taliban before they could reach the airport, triggering fears that they had been kidnapped. On Left Right & Centre, we speak to those who are back in India after having been rescued.

Rameen Saidi, an Afghan-US citizen living in Washington, whose brother is stuck at the Kabul airport for the last 2 days, tells NDTV, "There is chaos outside the airport in Kabul, one of my brothers used to work for the US in Afghanistan. I would like to say the US is not doing enough for the Afghan refugees who are arriving here. We put donations together, but we were not allowed to intervene and welcome our people. They told us that because of the security situation, we do not need volunteers. You could see the trauma in their eyes when they arrived."

A special repatriation flight by the Indian Air Force - carrying 168 passengers, including 107 Indians - landed this morning at the Hindon air base near Delhi from Kabul. Those onboard this jet had been held briefly by the Taliban in Kabul, even sparking fears that they had been kidnapped. All in all, over 300 Indians were evacuated from Afghanistan and brought safety to India. Jafar Sharif, from Chennai, is one among those evacuated, he says the relief to be on Indian soil outweighs any frustration. He also says that he would hear sounds of gunshots and hand grenades at night. "I couldn't sleep because of fear."