Indian officials meet Taliban in Kabul – A First In New Afghan Regime

All Indian mission staff had returned from Afghanistan in August last year when the Taliban took control of the country, following the exit of US forces.

For the first time since Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, a high-level team from India landed in Kabul on Thursday. The Indian team headed by a senior diplomat visited to Kabul to oversee the delivery of New Delhi’s humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country and also hold talks with members of the Taliban.

The team led by JP Singh, the external affairs ministry’s point person for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, will meet senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, an official statement said. It said the team will meet representatives of the international organisations involved in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.

The Taliban’s Amir Khan Mottaki, who met with Mr Singh, said they want India to resume its stalled projects, reactivate diplomatic presence and give consular services to Afghans, especially students and patients.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indian team will try to visit several places in Afghanistan where India-assisted projects and programmes are being implemented. He, however, did not give details such as the composition of the team, duration of the trip, places to be visited and scheduled meetings.

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