India sounds note of caution as Afghanistan Govt starts talks with Taliban in Doha

As the Afghan Government on Saturday formally started negotiations with Taliban, New Delhi sounded a note of caution, stating that the peace-process might not result in reversal of the progress made by the war-torn nation to turn itself into a democratic republic since 2001.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar virtually participated in the ceremony held in Doha to mark the beginning of the formal negotiations between President Ashraf Ghani’s Government in Kabul and the Taliban – notwithstanding growing concerns in New Delhi that the peace-process might result in a strategic advantage for Pakistan.

Jaishankar reiterated India’s position that any peace process in Afghanistan must be “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled” and must respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

He also said that the peace-process must preserve the progress made in the establishment of a democratic Islamic Republic in Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban in 2001. The interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sections of society must be preserved, a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi quoted him saying while attending the ceremony virtually.

India also sent out a tacit message to Pakistan. The External Affairs Minister saying that peace-process must effectively address “the issue of violence” across conflict-ravaged country and its neighbourhood.

New Delhi has been blaming Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in Afghanistan and India. The terrorists backed by the Pakistan Army targeted India’s interests in Afghanistan.

Jaishankar wished for the success of the Intra-Afghan negotiations in delivering to the people of Afghanistan what they have longed for – a peaceful and prosperous future in an independent and sovereign nation.

A delegation led by senior diplomat J P Singh, who heads the PAI (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) division at the MEA headquarters, represented the Government of India in the ceremony that marked the beginning of talks in Doha on Saturday.

The External Affairs Minister participated in the ceremony on an invitation from Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Jaishankar referred to the millennia-old relationship between India and Afghanistan, which, according to him, had withstood the test of time. He highlighted India’s role as a major development partner of Afghanistan with over 400 projects completed in all the 34 provinces of the conflict-ravaged country.