Amid the severe civic and economic concerns that people of Afghanistan are dealing with, India had extended its support for the war-ravaged country which drew praise from an envoy from the United States.
US Special Representative to Afghanistan Thomas West met top Indian representatives on Monday and discussed shared interests in the war-ravaged country. West met Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary (PAI) JP Singh. During the meeting, the US Special envoy deeply appreciated India’s generous humanitarian support to Afghans. “Great to see Vikram Misri, @MEAIndia JP Singh and other Indian colleagues in Delhi to discuss shared interests in Afghanistan. As fellow friend of Afghan people, US deeply appreciates India’s generous humanitarian support and commitment to Afghans’ fundamental rights,” US special envoy Thomas West tweeted.
“Also valuable to meet with @DrabdullahCE about urgent need for national political dialogue among Afghans. There is consensus in int’l community on this imperative, which Afghans must lead and shape,” he further added.
His visit to India is part of a three-nation trip including Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Special Representative West is engaging with the Afghan diaspora, including human rights, business, political, and media leaders on how to address these challenges.
This visit comes as the UN mission in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban to take immediate steps to end violence against women and the broader deterioration of women’s rights as a vital part of efforts to establish a meaningful and sustainable peace.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights–particularly those of women and girls. They dismissed all women from leadership posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from attending secondary school.