News India Live, Digital Desk: Diplomatic relations: As part of an important diplomatic initiative, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to the Taliban acting Foreign Minister Aamir Khan Mottaki on Thursday, the first ministerial conversation between India and the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The talks took place shortly after the Taliban administration condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 civilians.
After the call, Jaishankar posted on the social media platform X: “This evening, there was a good conversation with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawalvi Aamir Khan Mutki. I condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and I heartily appreciate it.” He reiterated India’s long -term friendship with the Afghan people and confirmed continuous support for their development needs. The two leaders also discussed the possible routes of future support.
Taliban demanded visa relief
Jaishankar said that he welcomes Muttki to strongly dismiss the reports of Pakistani media that attempts to connect the recent terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir to the Taliban. He described such reports as a baseless attempt to create mistrust between India and Afghanistan.
According to Taliban Communications Director Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Mutki raised several important issues during the call. He urged India to make the visa process easier for Afghan citizens, especially medical treatment seekers. The discussion also included bilateral trade, the return of Afghan prisoners in Indian jails and the development of the Chabahar port of Iran, which is an important trade route for Afghanistan surrounded by land.
India’s vigilance towards Taliban
After the Pahalgam attack, trade relations between India and Pakistan have been broken, so Afghanistan is facing additional logistics challenges as it was traditionally depended on the ground route to Pakistan to reach Indian markets. In this context, the importance of Chabahar port has increased.
Since the Taliban returns to power in August 2021, India has been carefully associated with the regime through humanitarian aid and diplomatic channels. Notable conversations include Indian diplomat Anand Prakash’s Kabul Yatra in April this year and former visits of JP Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Egypt, who met Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and Dubai respectively.
Friday Bank Holiday: RBI holiday on 16 May, branches will be closed this Friday, know the reason
