For the very first time after the US forces’ withdrawal, Indian officials are on a two days official visit to Kabul for talks with the Taliban government. “The Indian team will meet the senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan,” said the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India. The statement further reads that “2. During the visit, the team will meet representatives of the International Organizations involved in the distribution of the humanitarian assistance. In addition, the team is expected to visit various places where Indian programmers/projects are being implemented. The officials would oversee the delivery of humanitarian assistance and visit areas targeted by Indian-backed programmers or projects, it further added.
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It is to be reminded that the Indian government had pulled its officials out of Afghanistan last August and closed its embassy, although New Delhi is keen to retain ties with the country. Last month the ministry said it had no information on when the embassy would reopen. As we all are aware, following the sharp deterioration in the security situation in Kabul in August last year, we had to relocate all India-based personnel out of Afghanistan. Given our historical ties with the Afghan people, we have continued to provide humanitarian assistance, particularly supplies of wheat, medicines, and vaccines. As regards a specific query about the reopening of the embassy, if there is any update, we will certainly share it with the media, said the Indian foreign ministry official in a press briefing last month.
Read more: Unmasking India’s policies on Afghanistan – Global Village Space
Indain Humanitarian Assiatnace
In response to the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, India decided to extend humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, said the Indian foreign ministry. In this endeavor, we have already dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance consisting of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID Vaccine, and winter clothing. These consignments were handed over to the India Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul, and UN specialized agencies including WHO and WFP. Furthermore, India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and food grains to Afghanistan.
India has historical and civilizational ties with the Afghan people and these longstanding linkages will continue to guide our approach, said the Indian foreign ministry official.