Stankzai has learned to be assured Mittal That the Taliban will address all 3 major concerns expressed by India – the safety and return of Indian citizens, safe passage for Afghan nationals wishing to come to India and preventing Pakistan-based terrorist groups from using Afghan territory to target India.
Mittal’s meeting with Stankzai, which lasted over an hour, is said to be a result of talks held over the past few days between a high-level group of NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other senior officials. Official sources said PM Narendra Modi had directed that the group be set up to focus on immediate priorities for India.
Although this was not the first meeting of Indian officials with Taliban leaders in Doha, the earlier meetings were not announced or confirmed. According to official sources, similar meetings of Indian officials have already taken place in Doha and elsewhere on “a few occasions”.
These sources also denied that the meeting was meant for India’s recognition of the Taliban. It’s still a wait-and-watch approach, as one source said on condition of anonymity.
The meeting also followed an “outreach” by Stankzai himself last week in which he said the Taliban sees India as an important country and wants to have better trade, political and cultural ties with it. an alumnus of Indian Military Academy, and apparently to his batchmates here known as Sheru, Stanekzai was the most senior Taliban leader to reach India since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on 15 August. According to sources, the choice of the place for the meeting was decided by whom. The fact is that Stankzai himself was keen to visit the Indian embassy. While Stankzai, considered close to Pakistan, remains the head of the political office in Doha, there is speculation that he could become foreign minister. This is apparently due to his frequent meetings with the heads of foreign missions in Doha.
The government said in its statement, which was issued soon after the meeting, that the discussions focused on the safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan and “the travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who travel to India”. Want to do it, also come. UP”.
Mittal expressed India’s concern that the soil of Afghanistan should not be used in any way for anti-India activities and terrorism. Stankzai is said to have assured Mittal that these issues would be ‘positively addressed’. The meeting took place a few days before government formation in Kabul and within 24 hours after the last US soldier left Afghanistan.
While this was not the first meeting with the Taliban, it is significant that India reaffirmed its engagement with the Taliban after its takeover of Kabul. India never confirmed that an Indian delegation had met some Taliban leaders in Doha earlier this year. The Ministry of External Affairs strongly denied the reports claiming that there was a meeting in Doha between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Taliban.
However, after the surprise fall of Kabul, the government had given enough signals to suggest that it was changing its position to openly have no affiliation with the Taliban. foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla was quoted as saying that India will work with any system that is prepared to protect the interests of the Afghan people. In meetings with the US and other “like-minded” countries, India agreed that it was important to stay connected with Afghanistan to ensure an inclusive government in Kabul and a government that protects women, minorities and children.
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