'Engage with Taliban for peace': Indian Friends of Afghanistan urges New Delhi

Expressing solidarity with the Afghan people, a group of intellectuals, former bureaucrats and politicians have issued an appeal to the Indian government, international community and to Taliban and other political forces in Afghanistan to come together for peace, national reconciliation and national reconstruction. They have asked the Indian government to engage with the Taliban to achieve the objectives. Plea to the Taliban “Afghanistan needs an inclusive government that facilitates national reconciliation after four long decades of wars and violence. Therefore, we appeal to the Taliban (which are in near total control of the country) and other political forces to begin an intra-Afghan peace process leading to a democratic government establishment,” declared a statement issued by the Indian Friends of Afghanistan, which comprises former foreign ministers K Natwar Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Mani Shankar Aiyar, former bureaucrats KC Singh and Najeeb Jung, former IPS officer Julio Rebeiro, Supreme Court lawyer Majeed Memon, activist Sandeep Pandey and founder of Forum for a New South Asia Sudheendra Kulkarni.

Indian Friends of Afghanist… by Firstpost

The collective on Wednesday stated that the Taliban should ensure that no terrorist organisation is allowed to find sanctuary in Afghanistan and that every Afghan citizen, irrespective of their ethnicity, ideology or past political background, should be respected. The Taliban should also respect the rights of women and safeguard the developmental projects undertaken by Indian entities in Afghanistan, it said. The group has also asked them to protects Hindus, Sikhs and other non-Muslim minorities, and facilitate the dignified return of those who were forced to leave their country. Call to the world community To the international community, the Indian Friends of Afghanistan have appealed that no country in the region should be excluded from, nor isolate itself from, collaborative efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan and promote national reconciliation and national reconstruction. “This requires India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and other countries to evolve and implement a common strategy, in cooperation with the United Nations, USA, EU and other members of the international community,” the statement read. They have also called upon the international community to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Afghanistan as it is their immediate and common responsibility. What India should do Welcoming Tuesday’s meeting between Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal and Head of the Political Office of Taliban Sher Mohammed Stanikza i, the collective urged the Government of India to engage with the Taliban to achieve a peaceful condition in that country. It further stated that the Government of India should not allow any political party to use the developments in that country to communally polarise Indian society for electoral gains. The collective also asked that the Indian government provide shelter to the Afghans, who have been forced to leave their country, without any discrimination on grounds of religion. Inputs from agencies