NEW DELHI– India established the first official contact with the Taliban, as India’s ambassador to Qatar held talks with a top Taliban leader yesterday, an official at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said.
The meeting took place at the Taliban’s request, said the Ministry, in a written statement.
In the statement, the ministry said that, India’s ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, head of the Taliban’s Political Office in Doha, at India’s embassy in Doha.
“Discussions focused on safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up,” the statement said, and added that, India’s ambassador raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil “should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.”
The Taliban representative assured the ambassador that these issues would be positively addressed.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK