DOHA – An Indian delegation led by the Minister of External Affairs made asecret visit to the capital of Qatar to meet with the Talibanrepresentatives, reports in international media cited.
Reports quoting Qatar’s special envoy for mediation Majed Al Qahtani citedthat a ‘secret’ meeting took place earlier this month as the South Asiancountry tries to secure its investments in Afghanistan.
The development comes days after India’s top diplomat and Minister ofExternal Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made a quick stopover in Qatar onJune 9 and June 15 when he met Zalmay Khalilzad along with other topofficials.
This is not the first time, as New Delhi had approached the Taliban in thepast, however, this is the first time a senior Qatari official confirmedthat a direct meeting has taken place between India and the Afghan militia.
Meanwhile, there has been no response from the Indian government followingthe critical remarks by the Qatari senior official.
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Qatar has for years hosted the Taliban’s political office and facilitatednegotiations with the western world besides the Afghan government. Expertsbelieve India’s investment of billions of dollars in Afghanistan is themotive behind the secret talks as it seeks to strengthen its role in thewar-torn country.
Meanwhile, it remains uncertain how significant were the discussionsbetween the two sides. India’s official policy has been to not recognisethe Taliban, with the Afghan government accorded the recognition as theonly legitimate stakeholder in the South Asian country.
On the other hand, The Taliban have carried out a wave of offensives inAfghanistan’s north in recent days and captured a border crossing withTajikistan, moving beyond their southern strongholds as internationalforces withdraw.
