In a major development, an Indian delegation for the first time on Thursday met the senior Taliban leaders in Kabul since it took control of Afghanistan in August last year. The Indian team headed by a senior diplomat discussed humanitarian assistance to the people of the strife-torn nation.
The Indian delegation led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, met senior members of the Taliban. Singh looks after Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
The ongoing visit comes against the backdrop of reports indicating that India may re-open its Embassy in Kabul, shut shortly after the Taliban took over the country on August 15 last year. More than 15 countries have already reopened their Embassies there.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said here a multi-member team headed by Joint Secretary Singh is in Kabul. They will also meet representatives of international organisations who are involved in the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. In addition, the team is expected to visit various places where Indian programmes and projects are being implemented. “We are focused on the security of our officials,” he added.
Bagchi said local staff continues to be there for maintenance and upkeep of the Indian Embassy premises.
“In August 2021, we had pulled out India-based officials due to the deteriorating situation,” he said on re-opening of the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
The Ministry said the team is on a visit to Kabul to oversee the delivery operations of our humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
With India playing a major role in providing aid, the Ministry said the team will meet the senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
“It may be recalled that in response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, India decided to extend humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. In this endeavor, we have already dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance consisting of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tonnes of medicines, 500,000 doses of Covid vaccine and winter clothing,” it said.
These consignments were handed over to the India Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul and UN specialised agencies including WHO and WFP. Furthermore, India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and foodgrains to Afghanistan.
“In continuation with our developmental partnership with Afghan brethren, we have gifted one million doses of India-made Covaxin to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. We have also assisted UNICEF by supplying almost 60 million doses of polio vaccine and two tons of essential medicines. India has historical and civilisational ties with the Afghan people and these longstanding linkages will continue to guide our approach,” the Ministry said.
Indian ambassador to Doha, Qatar, Deepak Mittal had met top Taliban negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai at the Indian Embassy in Doha in September 2021 - the first officially acknowledged meeting between the two sides in recent years.
As a prominent stakeholder in Afghanistan, India is concerned over the developments there since the Taliban took control. New Delhi hosted a regional dialogue on Afghanistan in November that was attended by the National Security Advisers (NSA) of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The participating countries vowed to work towards ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for global terrorism and called for the formation of an “open and truly inclusive” government in Kabul with representation from all sections of Afghan society.
A declaration released at the end of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan said Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.
India has all along called for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country. It has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
On re-opening the Embassy in Kabul, various Indian agencies are reviewing the situation in Afghanistan to come to a final decision in this regard. With security of the staff of paramount concern, some security teams of India recently visited Kabul to take stock of the ground realities.
As regards the possibility of re-opening the Indian embassy, sources said if it so happens, personnel will be posted for liaison services and consular services. However, no top officials or diplomats may be deployed there to begin with, they added.
Even as India is yet to recognise the Taliban regime, New Delhi is regularly sending food and medical aid to Afghanistan via the land route passing through Pakistan from Attari-Wagah border.
The Taliban dispensation has many times expressed gratitude to India for the aid and has urged New Delhi to re-open its embassy in Kabul. It has assured India of all possible security and safe environment to operate there.