On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai. According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides discussed a variety of bilateral and regional developments.
India has not yet recognized the Taliban government but has started engaging positively in order to safeguard its security concerns. Misri emphasized India’s commitment to continue providing humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people. The Afghan foreign minister praised India for its continued support for Afghanistan.
The MEA said, “In view of the current need for development activities, it was decided that India would consider engaging in development projects in the near future, in addition to the ongoing humanitarian assistance programme.”
Cricket is a common and lovable game in both countries. MEA utilized the cricket relation with Afghanistan by discussing the ‘strengthening of cricket’ cooperation between both countries. “Cricket is highly valued by the young generation of Afghanistan”.
The talks also included the Chabahar Port, India and Afghanistan agreed to promote the use of the port for enhancing trade and economic activities. The port would also be used for humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan side acknowledged the humanitarian support the country gets from India. It said India had sent multiple shipments, including 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tons of medicine, 27 tons of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of Covid vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 units of winter clothing and 1.2 tons of stationery kits.
It further said, “In response to the request from the Afghan side, India will provide further material support in the first instance to the health sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees.”
Afghanistan ministry added, “The Afghan side underlined its sensitivities to India’s security concerns. The two sides agreed to remain in touch and continue regular contacts at various levels.”
On 6th January 2025, in response to media reports media queries regarding airstrikes on Afghan civilians, the Official Spokesperson of MEA, Shri Randhir Jaiswal, said, “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We condemn any attack on innocent civilians. It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard.”
India has understood that the Taliban government is not going anywhere, and not engaging them may hurt Indian security interests for a long time. The engagement on various levels shows the pragmatic approach of India’s foreign policy.
