Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday that India continues to support the peace process in Afghanistan.
Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan, met with Modi at his official residence to brief him on the peace process and ongoing talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.
“Nice to meet HE Narendra Modi @narendramodi, the Prime Minister of the Republic of #India. In our friendly discussion, we took stock of the latest developments on the #AfganaPeace Process, the Doha talks and India’s support for peace efforts, ”Abdullah tweeted.
“HE PM assured me of India’s continued support for the peace process and Afghanistan. I thanked him and the people of India for the invitation and generous hospitality. I also thanked India for its principled position on the #AfghanPeace Process, ”he added in another tweet.
Abdullah arrived in India on Tuesday for a five-day visit as part of an outreach to key countries in the region to seek support for the Doha negotiations. He traveled to New Delhi after a three-day visit to Islamabad last week.
He is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis (IDSA) and hold talks with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday.
Before coming to India, Abdullah said in a statement that India is a “strategic partner of Afghanistan.” He added that “India’s role in establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region is vital,” and that he would discuss the need for regional consensus and support for the Afghan peace process with the Indian leadership.
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On Wednesday night, Abdullah met with national security adviser Ajit Doval, who told him that India favors a democratic and sovereign Afghanistan “where terrorists cannot operate.”
Doval also hosted a dinner for Abdullah’s delegation which was attended by Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, Chief of Defense Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and key members of the High Council for National Reconciliation.
In Islamabad, he had met with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa. Abdullah told Pakistani leaders that a message on reducing violence and showing greater flexibility in the negotiations should be communicated to Taliban leaders participating in the Doha negotiations.
India, the region’s largest provider of development aid to Afghanistan, has expressed concern about the recent increase in violence by the Taliban and terrorist attacks against minorities such as Sikhs. He has said that negotiations within Afghanistan must guarantee the interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sectors of society and reduce violence in and around Afghanistan.
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