In the first week of November, the news of the high-profile meeting held in Kabul kept echoing in the diplomatic circles of Delhi. This was the first time that a senior official of the Indian External Affairs Ministry met Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Defense Minister of the Taliban’s caretaker government in Afgh.stan. Mujahid is the son of Mullah Omar who was the supreme leader of Afgh.stan between 1996 and 2001. A statement was issued by the Taliban regarding the meeting, in which it was said that both sides want to expand relations.
A few days after this meeting, the Indian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying that this meeting was about aid to Afgh.stan and the use of Chabahar port. After this, after the news of appointment of a person named Ikramuddin Kamil in Mumbai Consulate, the question started again that what is India’s foreign policy regarding Afgh.stan?
The Indian Foreign Ministry has made it clear that as far as giving recognition to Taliban is concerned, there is a set process for giving recognition to any government and India is with the international community on this matter. International affairs expert Kabir Taneja says, “It is true that India is constantly trying to make friends with the Taliban.” The Indian government seems to understand that this is a matter of current reality rather than like or dislike. And the current reality is that Taliban is in the role of caretaker government there, so complete separation is not practical, the second reason is that Taliban does not have good relations with the Government of Pakistan. In such a situation, India does not want to lose the historically existing relationship between the two countries with the Afghan people. Experts say that although India has recently stepped up diplomatic activities with the Taliban, hum.tarian assistance has been at its core. Let us tell you that India has not recognized the Taliban regime running the government in Afgh.stan since 2021.
Kabir further says, “It is true that India is gradually and cautiously increasing talks with the Taliban, but as far as the risk of diplomacy is concerned, it knows that India will not be able to continue the process of diplomatic talks with the Taliban. I am not.” He is at such a level that he can exit this dialogue whenever he wants. Because India’s stand on terrorism has always been that terrorism is neither good nor bad, it is terrorism. “India will have to be cautious at its every step because till now India has been telling the world that Pakistan has a hand in creating and strengthening the Taliban.”
Keeping in view the practical needs, appointment of consul in Mumbai
Meanwhile, the appointment of Ikramuddin Kamil to the Afghan Consulate in Mumbai was also in the news as such appointments were being made in the Afghan mission after a gap of three years. That too when diplomats appointed by the Gh. government in India took refuge in third countries. In such a situation, regarding this new appointment, the Government of India clarified that India considers this appointment as an Afghan citizen who has taken the responsibility of helping the Afghan people, because a large community of Afghan people lives here. The needs of India and their consular services are continuously increasing and in such a situation the Afghan mission needs more staff. However, Sher Mohammad Abbas St.kzai, Taliban’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, officially announced Kamil’s appointment on his social media.
