- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Indian ministry of external affairs on Friday (27) reiterated the first priority of the Narendra Modi government is to safely evacuate people from Afghanistan which is witnessing horrific violence since the return of the Taliban to power. According to the ministry, the question of recognising the Taliban rule comes later.
“The situation on the ground is uncertain (in Afghanistan). The primary concern is the security and safety of people. Currently, there is no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul. I think we are jumping the gun regarding recognition,” ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a press conference.
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On Thursday (26), external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar briefed an all-party meeting on the Afghanistan situation saying the current stance of India is to wait and watch what unfolds in Afghanistan.
What needs to be seen first is whether the new dispensation in Afghanistan will be a sole government of the Taliban or be part of a power-sharing arrangement with other Afghan leaders, the ministry said.
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On August 15, the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan except for the Panjshir province and several rounds of talks have happened since regarding the formation of the next government of Afghanistan.
While initially an interim set-up was proposed, the Taliban reportedly claimed their government and names of several ministers have been revealed. The anti-Taliban forces, who have been negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban, are pitching for an all-inclusive government.
The external affairs ministry has made it clear that unless it is clear who is going to form a government in Afghanistan, the question of recognition does not arise. It has said that India has been in touch with several countries like the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, Qatar, Germany, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan as well as the United Nations (UN) secretary-general and UN Security Council on the developments in Afghanistan.
