India yet to decide on issue of engaging the Taliban

India has responded cautiously to US particular envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s suggestion that New Delhi ought to instantly interact with the Taliban, individuals accustomed to developments indicated on Thursday, including {that a} determination on this regard is but to be made.

During his go to to New Delhi final week, Khalilzad, the particular consultant for Afghanistan reconciliation, referred to as for India to have interaction with the Taliban and instantly focus on its issues associated to terrorism. During a media interview, he mentioned that the US desires India to tackle a extra energetic position within the Afghan peace course of.

“We have our own perspectives on Afghanistan and our traditional and neighbourly relations with the people of Afghanistan will continue to guide our Afghan policy,” one of many individuals cited above mentioned on situation of anonymity.

The individuals indicated that India is but to resolve on the essential subject of whether or not to have interaction with the Taliban.

For years, the Indian authorities has stayed away from any transfer to have interaction the Taliban, both instantly or not directly, largely due to issues associated to the phobia group’s shut hyperlinks to the Pakistani army institution.

The closest India has come to being on the identical desk because the Taliban was when New Delhi despatched two former ambassadors as “non-official” representatives to a gathering below the Moscow Format mechanism in Russia in November 2018.

During their conferences with Khalilzad final week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval conveyed India’s robust issues a couple of spike in terrorist violence in Afghanistan and referred to as for rooting out terror sanctuaries in Pakistan to make sure peace within the war-torn nation.

“India is deeply concerned at the upsurge in violence and supports call for immediate ceasefire and [the] need to assist the people of Afghanistan in dealing with [the] coronavirus pandemic,” the exterior affairs ministry mentioned in a press release on Khalilzad’s conferences.