India in touch with Taliban? External Affairs Minister replied

Ground Report | New Delhi: India in touch with Taliban; India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India is closely monitoring the developments in Afghanistan and its focus is to ensure the safe return of Indians stranded in war-torn Afghanistan. S Jaishankar said these things while talking to reporters in New York on Wednesday.

He was also asked whether India has had any contact with the Taliban in recent times. He did not give a clear answer, saying, “At the moment we are seeing the changing situation in Kabul. The Taliban and its representatives have reached Kabul so I think we need to start things from there."

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The foreign minister was asked how India views the Taliban leadership and how it will move forward with it. In response, he said, "These are still early days." Will India continue to invest and other relations in Afghanistan? In response, he said, "Historic relations with the people of Afghanistan remain."

India in touch with Taliban

He said, “This will decide our approach in the coming days. I think these are early days and our focus is on the safety of the Indian people present there."

This is the second evacuation flight since another C-17 aircraft brought back nearly 40 people from the Hamid Karzai International (HKI) airport in Kabul on Monday as part of India's emergency evacuation mission, which was carried out by the US officials. This was done after coordinating with the concerned authorities including. Security at the airport in the capital of Afghanistan.

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Sources said that due to the deteriorating security situation, the Indian envoy and 132 others faced a lot of difficulty in reaching the Kabul airport. A large number of military aircraft arrivals and departures from Western countries were disrupted as operations were suspended following a barrage of gunfire near the airport, leading to an excessive halt of Indian aircraft in Kabul.

The virtual roll up of the Indian Embassy comes a day after the Union Home Ministry introduced a new category of electronic visas to fast-track the applications of Afghans wishing to enter India. With the Indian embassy in Kabul virtually shutting down, India's wide reach, which once included four consulates, has been curtailed for now.

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