Taliban calls India a ‘significant regional partner’ after officials meet

Senior overseas ministry officials of the 2 countries clasp highest-level talks since the Afghan group’s takeover of Kabul successful 2021.

The Taliban has called India a “significant determination and economical partner” aft a gathering was held betwixt elder overseas ministry officials of the 2 countries, the highest specified talks since the Afghan group’s takeover of Kabul successful 2021.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi successful Dubai connected Wednesday, reports said.

In a connection later, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they discussed expanding their relations and boosting commercialized through Chabahar Port in Iran, which India has been processing for goods to bypass the ports of Karachi and Gwadar successful its rival Pakistan.

“In enactment with Afghanistan’s balanced and economy-focused overseas policy, the Islamic Emirate aims to fortify governmental and economical ties with India arsenic a important determination and economical partner,” the connection said.

India’s overseas ministry said successful a connection aft the gathering that New Delhi was considering engaging successful improvement projects successful Afghanistan and looking to boost commercialized ties.

India, which hosts thousands of Afghan refugees, besides said it volition supply “material support” for their rehabilitation backmost home. Some 1 cardinal refugees person been repatriated by Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan since precocious 2023.

“In effect to the petition from the Afghan side, India volition supply further worldly enactment successful the archetypal lawsuit to the wellness assemblage and for the rehabilitation of refugees,” India’s overseas ministry said successful its statement.

Afghan officials accidental they person already begun distributing onshore among the repatriated Afghan refugees.

India besides said it offered further enactment to the Afghan wellness assemblage arsenic the 2 countries discussed strengthening of sports ties, peculiarly successful cricket.

No overseas government, including India, officially recognises the Taliban administration. Yet successful June 2022, little than a twelvemonth aft the Taliban returned to power, India reopened its embassy successful Kabul, sending a squad of “technical experts” to tally the mission.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s embassy successful New Delhi was closed successful November 2023 aft diplomats appointed by the Afghan authorities ousted by the Taliban failed to unafraid visa extensions from their Indian hosts.

However, successful November past year, the Taliban announced the assignment of Ikramuddin Kamil arsenic its acting consul successful Mumbai.

India is besides 1 of respective countries to facilitate trade, assistance and aesculapian enactment and has sent humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan nether the Taliban.

New Delhi has truthful acold dispatched respective shipments consisting of wheat, medicines, COVID vaccines, and wintertime covering to Afghanistan.

Wednesday’s gathering came amid rising tensions betwixt Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, which past week launched an cognition to destruct what it called equipped groups successful Afghanistan’s eastbound Paktika province. Islamabad claims the Pakistan Taliban group uses Afghan ungraded to motorboat attacks successful Pakistan, a complaint Kabul denies.

The strikes killed dozens of people, chiefly women and children. Earlier this week, India’s overseas bureau told journalists they condemned the aerial strikes conducted connected Afghan soil.

India and Pakistan person agelong been rivals and person fought 3 wars implicit Kashmir since they won independency from Britain successful 1947.

On Wednesday, the Afghan broadside underlined its sensitivities to India’s information concerns and said they “agreed to stay successful interaction and proceed regular interaction astatine assorted levels,” the Indian connection said.