As a result of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban has assumed control of the country and India today acknowledged that it had held diplomatic discussions with them for the first time in its history. An Indian diplomat met with a leader of the terrorist organisation in Doha, the capital of Qatar. After being requested by the country’s new leadership, the meeting was held in the country’s conflict-ridden capital.
As reported by the Ministry of External Affairs, Ambassador Deepak Mittal, India’s envoy to Qatar, met with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Taliban’s political office in that country, to discuss the situation in the country. According to the statement, the two met at the Indian Embassy in Doha.
According to the statement, India expressed concern about terrorists’ exploitation of Afghanistan’s land, and Stanekzai reassured him that these concerns will be dealt in a positive manner.
“The discussions centred on the safety and security of Indian nationals who were stranded in Afghanistan, as well as their prompt return. The issue of Afghan nationals, particularly minorities, who aspire to move to India was also brought up, according to the report “It was stated. As reported by the New York Times, “Indian Ambassador Mittal expressed his country’s worry that Afghanistan’s soil should not be exploited for anti-Indian operations or terrorist activities in any way.”
In 1979 and 1982, Stanikzai, the Taliban representative whom Ambassador Mittal saw today, served in the Indian Army for three years, first at the Army Cadet College in Nowgaon and then at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, before joining the Pakistani army.
The Indian government had already communicated with “key players in Afghanistan” and had taken a “wait and watch” attitude, according to a report in the Press Trust of India (PTI), which referred to a briefing by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to an all-party meeting.
In the report, Mr Shringla was quoted as saying, “India is cooperating with its major allies and is committed to continuing engagement with the people of Afghanistan.”
