Jaishankar, Afghan FM Muttaqi hold talks, India elevates Kabul mission to full embassy status

Kabul assures Afghan soil won't be used against India

- MPOST BUREAU

India on Friday announced the upgrading of its technical mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy and pledged to renew its development works in Afghanistan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also appreciated the Taliban setup for showing sensitivity towards New Delhi's security concerns. He made the twin announcements during his wide-ranging talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who landed in New Delhi on Thursday on a six-day visit, his first diplomatic visit to India.

India had withdrawn its officials from its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. In June 2022, India reestablished its diplomatic presence in the Afghan capital by deploying a “technical team. India opened a small mission a year later to facilitate trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid.

About a dozen countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, have embassies operating in Kabul.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar listed cross-border terrorism as a shared threat for both the countries and said India and Afghanistan must coordinate efforts to combat the menace.

On his part, Muttaqi assured India that Afghanistan will not allow any element to use its territory against New Delhi's interests and identified the Daesh terror group (ISIS) as the main challenge for the region.

He added that Kabul is at the frontlines of this struggle.

Since the Taliban came to power, New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.