Indian delegation visits Afghanistan: India's attempt to reduce 'decades distance' from Taliban?
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An important delegation led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, has arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. This is the first visit to Kabul by an official Indian delegation since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan last year.
The delegation, led by JP Singh, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed diplomatic relations, trade and humanitarian aid.
After the meeting, Muttaqi described the visit of the Indian delegation as a good start. He said India should resume its diplomatic presence and consular services in Afghanistan.
During the visit, the Indian delegation will also meet representatives of international organizations involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid there.
Along with this, the delegation is also going to the places where projects and schemes have been implemented by India.
What has been India's position on the Taliban government so far?
After the Taliban came to power, India had earlier said that it would not recognize the Taliban government and also appealed to the international community not to rush to recognize the Taliban government.
However, in the first few months, there were signs of change in India's policy and India met with Taliban representatives in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Although the meeting was never accepted by India, a meeting between Indian Ambassador Deepak Mittal and Taliban leader Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai took place in Doha at the end of August last year.
This was India's first formal dialogue with the Taliban.
A statement from India's foreign ministry said, "These talks are being held at the request of the Taliban.
India also raised a strategic issue with the Taliban's top leader, assuring them that the Taliban would not allow Afghan territory to be used against India.
The second formal meeting with the Taliban took place on October 21, when an Indian delegation led by Foreign Ministry Joint Secretary JP Singh met with Taliban representatives in Moscow. The Taliban delegation was led by its Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi.
The delegation was invited by Russia to attend a "Moscow format" conference on Afghanistan, during which talks were held between representatives of India and the Taliban.
India had subsequently proposed to hold a meeting of four countries' national security advisers with China, Russia and Pakistan on Afghanistan, but no one from China or Pakistan attended the meeting in November.
The meeting was held in India on November 10 last year and was attended by representatives of Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
After the meeting, a 12-point manifesto titled 'Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan' was also issued. All countries participating in the meeting agreed that the use of Afghan soil for any kind of terrorist training, planning or financing in this direction would not be allowed.
Although the meeting was about the Taliban government, Afghanistan was not invited. The Indian government's justification behind this was that none of the countries participating in the meeting had recognized the Taliban government.
However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted about the meeting, saying "hopefully such meetings will help to better understand the issue of Afghanistan."
What aid is India sending to Afghanistan?
In the last nine months since the Taliban came to power, India has shipped 20,000 metric tons of wheat, 13 tons of medicine, 500,000 doses of the vaccine and several pairs of winter clothes.
The humanitarian aid shipments have been handed over to the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul and special UN agencies, including the WHO (World Health Organization) and the WFP (World Food Organization).
In addition, India is currently preparing to send more medical aid and food items to Afghanistan.
The Foreign Ministry said that India was also trying to provide assistance to those in Afghanistan who had fled the country to Iran after the arrival of the Taliban. One million doses of the vaccine have also been provided.
According to the Foreign Ministry, India has also sent 60 million polio vaccines and two tonnes of essential medicines to UNICEF.
It is noteworthy that food and other essentials shipped from India to Afghanistan are distributed through the United Nations Health and Food Organization.
According to the United Nations, about 3 million lives are at risk in Afghanistan due to hunger, and according to the WHO, the health care system there is also at risk.
According to the WHO, the welfare program in Afghanistan has the largest role in the healthcare system there, which cares for the health of millions of people through 2,331 medical centers.
But international funding for the program has been cut off since the Taliban took power there in August last year. The welfare program was previously supported by the World Bank, the European Commission and the United Nations Agency for International Development.
The recent drought has also damaged agriculture and property. As a result, food prices are skyrocketing and public services are in a state of disrepair. That's why in October 2021, the WHO warned of a food crisis for about 20 million people.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, this is the reason why India has decided to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan for the time being in view of the needs of the people.