Indian envoy meets Taliban representative
Hours after the historic exit of US forces from Afghanistan, India and the Taliban opened direct talks in Doha.
By IAR Desk
Hours after the historic exit of US forces from Afghanistan, India and the Taliban opened direct talks in Doha.
India’s Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of Taliban’s Political Office in Doha.
A statement released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that the meeting took place at the Indian embassy “on the request of the Taliban side”.
“Discussions focused on safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up,” it said.
Ambassador Mittal also raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.
Stanekzai has an Indian connection – in the 1970s he had been trained in the Indian Military Academy. He has assured that New Delhi’s concerns would be “positively addressed”, including that of Afghanistan’s soil not being used for any anti-Indian activity.
While India has unofficially engaged the Talk ban earlier, this is the first official engagement, believed to have been facilitated by Mr. Al-Qahtani, the Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution.
The Taliban swept to a victory in Kabul on 15 August as the government in Kabul collapsed amidst an almost battleless surrender by Afghan defence forces. On Tuesday, 31st August, the last US soldier left Afghanistan under a deal that the US entered into with the Taliban in February last year in Doha.
India, which had been a strong supporter of the now absconding Ashraf Ghani government, has invested $3 billion dollars in Afghanistan, mostly building infrastructure, engaging in training and capacity building of Afghans, and promoting grass roots projects.
In interviews to the Indian media earlier, Stanikzai has talked about welcoming Indian support in Afghanistan’s development and on non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs.
