First official go to since Taliban takeover: Indian diplomats meet minister in Kabul

J P Singh, Joint Secretary in control of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) within the MEA, led the Indian group. Prior to now, he has met Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar.

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India closed its mission in Kabul quickly after the Taliban entered town final August.

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The Indian delegation led by Singh visited a hospital, a college, and an influence plant in Kabul throughout the day.

Taliban International Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi, who tweeted {a photograph} of the assembly, stated diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and India, bilateral commerce, and humanitarian help have been mentioned.

Mottaqi, Balkhi stated, welcomed the primary delegation from the MEA and the Indian authorities, and referred to as it a “good begin” between the 2 international locations. He thanked India for its current humanitarian and well being help to Afghanistan.

In line with the spokesperson, Mottaqi confused that India ought to resume its stalled tasks, activate its diplomatic presence, and supply consular companies to Afghans, particularly Afghan college students and sufferers.

He stated the Indian delegation too stated it wished good relations with Afghanistan as earlier, and would proceed offering help.

Balkhi stated India would contemplate “aiding and dealing with Afghanistan” in numerous fields because it had not too long ago opened its borders and ports to Afghan exports, and exports have been larger than in earlier years. This, he stated, is predicted to facilitate additional development of Afghanistan’s exports and assist its economic system.

Earlier within the day, the MEA stated the Indian group would meet “senior members of the Taliban”, and maintain discussions on India’s humanitarian help to the folks of Afghanistan.

The aim of the go to, the MEA stated, was to supervise “supply operations of our humanitarian help” to Afghanistan.

It stated the group would additionally meet representatives of worldwide organisations concerned in distribution of humanitarian help. As well as, the group was anticipated to go to locations the place Indian programmes and tasks have been being applied.

“In response to the humanitarian wants of the Afghan folks, India determined to increase humanitarian help to the Afghan folks. On this endeavour, we now have already dispatched a number of shipments of humanitarian help consisting of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of Covid vaccine and winter clothes. These consignments have been handed over to the India Gandhi Youngsters Hospital, Kabul and UN specialised companies together with WHO and WFP. Moreover, India is within the technique of delivery extra medical help and meals grains to Afghanistan,” the MEA stated.

“In continuation with our developmental partnership with Afghan brethren, we now have gifted a million doses of India-made Covaxin to Iran to manage to Afghan refugees in Iran. We have now additionally assisted UNICEF by supplying nearly 60 million doses of polio vaccine and two tons of important medicines,” it stated.

“India’s improvement and humanitarian help has obtained widespread appreciation throughout all the spectrum of Afghan society,” the MEA stated.

It underlined that India has “historic and civilisational ties with the Afghan folks” and “these longstanding linkages will proceed to information our method”.

The go to to Kabul factors to a wider acceptance of the view within the Indian institution that Delhi wants to interact with the Taliban. It might even be a precursor to India returning to Kabul, with liaison or consular companies to start with.

Considerably, regardless of there being no diplomatic contact all this whereas, Afghan-India commerce has continued with solely a brief interruption throughout the Taliban takeover final August