The Taliban requested a meeting in India’s embassy in Doha, the external affairs ministry said, adding that the discussions focussed on “safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan”
New Delhi: Less than a day after US troops fully withdrew from Afghanistan, India announced the first official contact with the Taliban in Doha, with a senior Taliban leader visiting the Indian embassy in Qatar and conveying assurances on New Delhi’s concerns
“Today, Ambassador of India to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of Taliban’s Political Office in Doha. The meeting took place at the Embassy of India, Doha, on the request of the Taliban side,” said the Indian ministry of external affairs, reports The Wire.
This is a historical event as India nor never recognised the Taliban and acknowledged any meetings during the former’s rule in the 1990s before it was driven out by the US invasion following the 9/11 attacks.
The press release was issued about 16 hours after the last US soldier left Hamid Karzai International Airport at midnight on August 30. India had withdrawn its ambassador and all its diplomatic staff after the Taliban walked into Kabul on August 16, following the collapse of the Afghan government.
The Indian readout stated that the discussions focussed on “safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan”. It said the travel of “Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up”.
Mittal also raised concerns that “Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner”. Stanikzai seems to have provided some reassurances. “The Taliban representative assured the ambassador that these issues would be positively addressed,” the ministry said.
In a public statement on Friday, Stanikzai had described India as an “important regional country” and had expressed hope to maintain trade routes, through air and land. He had also praised the Chabahar port in Iran, which India has been developing, as a positive project for improving business activity.
The Taliban has not yet formed a government, but an announcement was imminent, as per Afghan media reports. India had earlier said that it wanted to see a broad-based, inclusive government in Kabul. The meeting in Doha is an indication that the recognition of the Taliban-dominated government will happen sooner than later.
