India on Tuesday told the Taliban in no uncertain term that “Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-India activities and terrorism in any manner”. In a meeting that happened on the request of Taliban only, Indian Ambassador in Doha Deepak Mittal held a talk with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Head of Taliban’s Political Office in Qatar’s capital, mainlyt o discuss safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan after the Islamist group’s takeover of the country.
MEA sources told The Daily Guardian that the Taliban reached out to India with a request for a meeting. “Indian diplomat was given a go-ahead for the meeting with the Taliban’s leader in Doha for the safe and early returns of Indians which is a top priority for the country as has been said many a time by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar,” a diplomat told TDG. The Taliban leader was asked to attend the meeting at the Embassy of India, Doha, when the group proposed for a talk. The Indian top diplomat in Doha used the opportunity to sort of warn the Taliban that Afghanistan’s soil should not be allowed to be used for terrorism or for any other activities against Delhi. By this, the Indian diplomat suggested to the Taliban about Pakistan and China as well which may try and use Afghanistan for activities which create problems for India under the changed circumstances there.
“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”, says an MEA statement. “Ambassador Mittal raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner,” added the statement.
According to the MEA statement, “The Taliban representative assured the Ambassador that these issues would be positively addressed.”
The Taliban have proclaimed “full independence” for Afghanistan after the last US soldiers flew out following 20 years of war. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said early Tuesday that “American soldiers left the Kabul airport, and our nation got its full independence.”
Significantly, Deepak Mittal has served as joint secretary of the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran division in the Ministry of External Affairs.
This is the first-ever public acknowledgement of talks between the Indian diplomat and the Taliban representative. However, India’s ‘quiet engagements’ with the Taliban had taken place earlier in what was dubbed as an exploratory exercise. But MEA never confirmed these engagements. Sources told TDG, “Communication gap with whosoever is in control of Kabul would not be in the interest of Indians who are stranded in the troubled country. So, the Taliban’s request for a meeting was accepted.”
But this meeting is not an acknowledgement by India of the Taliban dispensation, say sources. India is, in fact, waiting to see what kind of government is formed in Kabul and how the Taliban walk the talk, as they have sought to send out an impression that they have undergone a change to the extent of becoming a responsible group. But the entire world is watching how the Taliban’s action is going to be as far as their promise is concerned.
According to top sources, India has also created a high-level group, comprising External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval along with other senior officials to monitor the Afghan situation. The group’s inputs will go into making a long-term strategy on Afghanistan and Taliban.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi established this high-level group on Afghanistan. “PM Modi has entrusted it with the agenda to focus on the immediate priorities of India,” say sources. The group has already held some meetings as well during which the entire gamut of the Afghan situation was discussed threadbare, sources say.
India is continuously preparing a ground for the world community to stay focused on the risk that Afghanistan’s soil may be used by the terror organisations under the changed circumstances. EAM Jaishankar has been stressing on this aspect of the entire development in Afghanistan.
As part of this strategy, a resolution was adopted under India’s presidency at UNSC demanding that territory of Afghanistan should not be used for terrorist activities or as a safe haven particularly for groups such as Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Sources said that Jaishankar wanted that there should be a Security Council resolution given the seriousness of the situation.