NEW DELHI: In a significant development in ties with Afghanistan, India on Wednesday held its first meeting with Taliban acting defence minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, who is also the son of Mullah Omar, the former supreme leader of the group and emir of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
The meeting between Yaqub and MEA joint secretary J P Singh, who handles Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, took place in Kabul on Wednesday, as India looks to step up engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the name under which the Taliban have ruled the country since taking over Kabul in 2021.
The Indian official also met Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, during what was his second visit to Kabul this year. “In this meeting, the two sides emphasised their common desire to expand bilateral relations, especially in the fields of humanitarian cooperation and other issues, and expressed their interest in strengthening further interactions between Afghanistan and India,” the Taliban ministry of defence said.
According to an Afghan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the meeting is a sign that India is ready to ramp up not just its humanitarian assistance to the country, but also aid in the reconstruction efforts, even without officially recognising the regime in Kabul. Repeated assurances from the Taliban, including during the ongoing visit, that they won’t allow the use of Afghan territory against India seems to have convinced India that this might be the right time to deepen engagement with Kabul.
Yaqub has in the past expressed hope of stronger ties with India, leading also to cooperation in defence sector. The Taliban have been pushing India to allow the appointment of a diplomat from the Taliban foreign ministry in the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, saying ties between India and Afghanistan are important for both countries and people. Ironically, the Taliban’s relationship with Pakistan has continued to head south because of differences over the activities of Pakistan Taliban.