Revealed: What transpired at India-Taliban talks at Doha

What has transpired at the Doha talks between India and the Taliban? That is the tricky question everybody in the diplomatic circles has been asking.

Shedding some light into the meeting, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “Our engagement with the Taliban has been limited. It’s not that we have (had) a robust conversation. But for whatever conversation we have had so far, they have been sort of. At least, the Taliban seems to indicate that they will be reasonable in the way they handle this.”

India’s Ambassador in Qatar had a talk with a senior Taliban leader in Doha, creating ripples in media and power corridors.

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India, along with the United States, is closely watching Pakistan’s actions as well in Afghanistan, Shringla said on Friday. The top Indian diplomat was in Washington DC for a series of meetings with his American counterpart and top officials of the Biden administration.

“Obviously, like us, they are also watching carefully and we have to watch Pakistan’s actions with a fine tooth comb. We will have a wait-and-watch policy,” he told media, wrapping up his three-day official visit to Washington DC.

Shringla said India also has a similar policy.

“That does not mean you don’t do anything. The situation is very fluid on the ground, you have to allow it to see how it evolves. You have to see whether the assurances that have been made publicly are actually maintained on the ground, and how things work out, he said.

Elaborating, Shringla said, “We have said that we have told them that we want them to be cognizant of the fact that there should be no terrorism that emanates from their territory directed against us, or other countries; that we want them to be mindful of the status of women, minorities and so on so forth. And, and I think they have, also, you know, made reassuring… from their side. “

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Observing that the situation in Afghanistan is very fluid and moving fast, Shringla said that both India and the US are keeping a close watch on it.

“Look on August 15. You had a situation where (Afghan) President (Ashraf) Ghani suddenly left. You had the Taliban come in. The situation is moving so fast it’s so fluid that is difficult to comment at this point of time on anything, he said.

Shringla said the US is also watching the situation in Afghanistan very closely. They will obviously see how different players get engaged in the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan is a neighbour of Afghanistan. They have supported and nurtured the Taliban. There are various elements there that Pakistan supported, Shringla said.

India, US talks on

India and the United States on Friday reaffirmed the strength of their defence relationship underscoring their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin H Kahl met Shringla to reaffirm the strength of the defence relationship between the US and India, Defence Spokesperson Eric Pahon said in a readout of the meeting.

India is the only designated Major Defence Partner of the United States, he said.

The Foreign Secretary and Under Secretary underscored their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to sustain a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, Pahon said.

The officials also discussed Afghanistan and a range of regional issues of shared interest, as well as key areas of defence cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and western Indian Ocean region, he added. Shringla and Kahl agreed to continue coordination on a robust set of shared priorities ahead of this years US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the readout said.