A statement from Afghanistan said acting foreign minister Mansoor Ahmad Khan Muttaqi thanked India for its humanitarian assistance and added that according to its balanced and economy-oriented foreign policy, his government wanted to have political and economic relations with India as an important and economic country in the region.
“The foreign minister assured the Indian side that there is no danger to anyone from Afghanistan and expressed the hope of increasing diplomatic relations and creating facilities related to visas for businessmen, patients and students,” the statement said.
The statement came after India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a meeting with the Afghan (Taliban) leader in Dubai.
This was the first publicly acknowledged high-level interaction between the two countries since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
“In response to the request from the Afghan side, India will provide further material support in the first instance to the health sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees,” Indian foreign ministry said.
It further said that the Indian foreign secretary “praised the Islamic Emirate’s fight against drugs and corruption in the country” and added that India was willing to expand relations with Afghanistan in the political and economic fields and to promote trade through Chabahar port in Iran.
Both sides agreed to facilitate visas and trade, the Afghan statement concluded.
Talking to Dawn.com, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said the development was “very predictable”.
He added: “Whenever differences and tensions appear in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, India would find an opportunity to increase its space and deter Afghanistan’s fraternal neighbourly relations with Pakistan.”
He said the only way to deal with the situation was to focus on “working out a way of engaging with Afghanistan to resolve our mutual concerns”.
India has so far dispatched several shipments consisting of wheat, medicines, Covid vaccines and winter clothing to Afghanistan.
India does not recognise the Taliban government which seized power in 2021 and closed its own embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took control that year.
Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi was closed in November 2023 after diplomats appointed by the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban failed to secure visa extensions from their Indian hosts.
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