It has been confirmed for the first time that India is directly talking to the Taliban. An official from The Hindu said, “I believe there has been a quiet visit by Indian officials to talk to the Taliban.”
Qatar’s special envoy for counter-terrorism and mediation in conflict resolution, Mutlaq bin Majeed Al Qahtani, was speaking at a web conference on Monday.
These things are coming to the fore when in the last two weeks, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has made two visits to Qatar to meet the leaders. The Indian Foreign Ministry did not comment on Qahtani’s statement. Along with this, the Ministry of External Affairs did not even tell that if talks are going on, then at what level is the talk.
Responding to a question asked by The Hindu in a web conference, Qahtani said, “The rationale behind this conversation of India is that the Taliban is going to play an important role in Afghanistan in the future. Not everyone is thinking that the Taliban will dominate, but it will play an important role in the future of Afghanistan. That’s why I see that every side is ready for talks.
The conference in which Dr Qahtani was speaking was organized by the Arab Center and the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. The topic of this conference was – peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American and NATO forces.
On the other hand, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is going to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington this week on Friday. Ashraf Ghani and President Biden will discuss the strategy after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Apart from this, Ashraf Ghani will also address the three-day conference.
Qahtani was asked whether he sees any talks between India and Pakistan being related to Afghanistan peace talks? In response to this question, he said, “Afghanistan is a country and it should not become a den of conflict for other countries.”
Qahtani said, “A stable Afghanistan will benefit both Pakistan and India. Pakistan is a neighboring country. We know that India is a country that has helped Afghanistan a lot financially. India wants peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Prior to this, India has been rejecting talks with the Taliban for years. India had never recognized the Taliban as a party in Afghanistan, but now the Modi government seems to be joining the talks. In response to these questions, the Ministry of External Affairs of India had said, “India’s commitment to the development and peace of Afghanistan is long and we are in contact with many parties with this goal.”
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