Kashmir Digits

A Taliban delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi met with an Indian delegation in Moscow, Russia during which the Indian side expressed its readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.

News of the meeting between the Taliban delegation and J.P. Singh, Joint Secretary for Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran, Ministry of External Affairs, was reported over the Twitter handle of the Taliban Deputy Information and Broadcasting Minister and spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid.

With this India joined a 10-nation statement recognising the “new reality” of the Taliban in power in Afghanistan.

The MEA made no immediate comment, but Government sources confirmed to The Hindu that the meeting had taken place and India was considering donation of a large consignment of wheat and other aid to Afghanistan.

“Both sides considered it necessary to take into account each other’s concerns and improve diplomatic and economic relations. The Indian side finally expressed readiness to provide a wide range of humanitarian assistance to the Afghans,” Mr. Mujahid said in a series of tweets.

The two sides also emphasised the need to take into account each other’s concerns and improve diplomatic and economic relations, Mujahid said.

The Indian side expressed readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, Mujahid was quoted as saying by Afghanistan’s Tolo news.

This would be the first time India has officially announced aid for Afghanistan after the August 15 takeover of Kabul by the Taliban.

India has in the past provided assistance both for infrastructure as well as for humanitarian purposes to Afghanistan.

India was also a signatory to the joint statement issued by representatives of China, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan which called on the Taliban to keep their commitment on forming an “inclusive” government and ensuring that their territory is not used by terror groups to threaten the security of other countries,

“It was stated that further practical engagement with Afghanistan needed to take into account the new reality, that is the Taliban coming to power in the country, irrespective of the official recognition of the new Afghan government by the international community,” the statement said, marking a decided shift in India’s previously tough stand on engaging the Taliban.

(Featured Image : AP)