India says its historical relationship with people of Afghanistan to guide its approach after Taliban’s ascent to power

Jaishankar has discussed the situation in Afghanistan in his bilateral meetings here, including with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

India’s “historical relationship” with people of Afghanistan will guide its approach on the future course of its engagement between the two nations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

“At this point of time, we are looking at what is the evolving situation in Kabul. Obviously, the Taliban and its representatives have come to Kabul. So, I think we need to take it from there,” the External Affairs Minister told journalists at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. His reply to a query on New Delhi’s engagement with the Taliban indicated that India had taken note of the reality of the recent fast-paced developments in Afghanistan.

New Delhi evacuated its envoy and diplomats from Kabul on Tuesday – less than 48 hours after the Taliban militants entered the capital city after occupying many provincial capitals across Afghanistan and the President Ashraf Ghani escaped from the country marking the collapse of his Government.

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India, however, did not formally shut down its embassy in the capital of Afghanistan, as it would have meant severance of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

New Delhi already signalled that it might recognize a new regime in Kabul with participation from the Taliban, if it was an “inclusive dispensation” with representation of all communities of Afghanistan, respected the aspirations of the children and voices and rights of women and promised not to allow anyone to use the country to export terror to other countries in the region and beyond.

“Well, look, I think you used the word investment. For us, it reflected the historical relationship with the Afghan people,” External Affairs Minister said, when a journalist referred to the development projects India funded in Afghanistan over the past 20 years and asked if the bilateral engagements would continue even after the imminent take over by a Taliban or a Taliban-dominated Government in Kabul. “I think that (the) relationship with the Afghan people obviously continues and that will guide our approach to Afghanistan in the coming days. At this time, I think, as I said, these are early days. Our focus right now is on ensuring the safety and security of Indian nationals, who are there.”

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Rudrendra Tandon, New Delhi’s envoy to Kabul, had also said immediately after being evacuated on Tuesday that India had not abandoned the people of Afghanistan.

The Taliban over the past few days sought to send out the message that its new incarnation in power would be different from the previous one, which had between 1996 and 2001 enforced an austere version of Shariah, banning TV, denying women’s rights to education and work, punishing and executing women and other offenders in public.

New Delhi had shut down the Embassy of India in Kabul when the Taliban had taken over power in Afghanistan in 1996. India’s then acting envoy to Afghanistan, Azad Singh Toor, and other officials had left Kabul by a special aircraft of Ariana Airlines on September 26, 1996 – just before the Taliban had entered the capital city and taken over power. The Taliban militants had not found any Indian, when they had raided and ransacked the Embassy of India in Kabul after executing the former Afghan President Mohammad Nazibullah and hanging his body from a traffic light pole.

“At the moment, we are, like everybody else, very carefully following developments in Afghanistan. I think our focus is on the security in Afghanistan and the safe return of Indian nationals, who are there,” Jaishankar told journalists in New York. “So that is really what has been very much of the focus of my own engagements here, talking to the UN Secretary General (Antonio Guterres), to other colleagues, who are here, as well as the US Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) a few days ago.”