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India ‘watching carefully’ how situation in Afghanistan unfolds
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Saturday India needs to be prepared to deal with any contingency that may arise out of a more volatile Afghanistan but that India is watching “carefully how the situation on the ground unfolds”.
In an interactive session at the India Today Conclave, Shringla also said India is willing to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
“As far as humanitarian assistance is concerned, we, like many other members of the international community, have said that we separate what is in the welfare of the people of Afghanistan from the actions of the present dispensation in power,” he said.
“But there are (security) concerns out there and we have to be able to use our instruments of diplomacy or every instrument available to us to ensure that we are insulated from the impact of such outcomes that could be detrimental to our interests,” he added.
To a question on India”s engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Shringla referred to Indian envoy to Qatar Deepak Mittal’s meeting with IEA leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha in late August.
“We have got some reassurances and some sense of how they would like to see our involvement. I think they were quite positive in terms of our continued engagement on the development front and in retaining our diplomatic presence but what is important also is that we need to watch carefully how the situation on the ground unfolds,” he said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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