In a first, India holds talks with Taliban; MEA official meets Mullah Omar’s son in Kabul

In a significant diplomatic move, India held its first talks with the Taliban administration of Afghanistan. MEA joint secretary J P Singh discussed India and Afghanistan relations with Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, the son of the former supreme leader of the group and emir of Afghanistan and the acting defence minister.

According to a report by the Times of India, Singh, who is responsible for the handling of matters pertaining to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, travelled to Kabul on Wednesday to hold the meeting with Yaqub.

The Indian official also met Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai during this visit as India tries to engage more with the country.

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Talking about the meeting, the Taliban foreign ministry said, “In this meeting, the two sides emphasized their common desire to expand bilateral relations, especially in the fields of humanitarian cooperation and other issues, and expressed their interest in strengthening further interactions between Afghanistan and India.”

An anonymous Afghan official told TOI that the meeting signals India’s readiness to increase not only its humanitarian support to Afghanistan but also its involvement in reconstruction efforts, despite not formally recognizing the Kabul regime.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, for quite some time, has been urging New Delhi to authorise the appointment of an ambassador from its administration in the Afghan Embassy, saying its ties with India are important.

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