External affairs minister S Jaishankar, left, and Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi
The Taliban are seeking an upgrade of their relationship with India in the form of diplomatic recognition, as the Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi meets external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday. Muttaqi arrived in Delhi Thursday for a 6-day visit that is expected to boost India’s fast growing economic ties and people-to-people contacts with Kabul, even without a formal recognition for the regime in Kabul. On the eve of Muttaqi’s meeting with Jaishankar here, a top Taliban leader told TOI it’s time for both governments to elevate the relationship by granting recognition to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the name used by the Taliban for the country. “It is the first high level visit by our foreign minister to India and is very significant. We expect it will initiate a new phase of relations between the two countries. There are a lot of areas which can be explored for mutual cooperation during this visit,” said the head of Taliban’s political office and Afghanistan’s ambassador to Qatar Suhail Shaheen.
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“I think it is time for leadership of both countries to raise the diplomatic level by granting recognition to IEA government and thus paving the way for bilateral cooperation and expansion of relations in various fields,” added Shaheen. The UN Security Council earlier waived a travel ban on Muttaqi to allow him to travel to India. That India was keen to host Muttaqi is a sign of growing trust in the relationship as the Taliban urge India to expand its economic footprint in the country. The visit also helps India further capitalise on the dramatic deterioration in the Taliban’s ties with Pakistan, which accuses Kabul of funding and arming the Pakistan Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Recognition for the Taliban, however, remains a tricky issue for India as the Indian government wants its position to be in consonance with that of the international community. That position is unlikely to change with Muttaqi’s visit. As multiple sources here told TOI, the visit is only indicative of an enhancement in bilateral relations and diplomatic engagements. As the government has said in the past, India seeks a sovereign, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, where the interests of all sections of Afghan society including women, children and minorities are protected. Additionally, despite credible assurances by Kabul that it won’t allow Afghanistan to be used against India, the Indian government still has concerns about links between Pakistan-based terror groups and forces in Afghanistan. While several countries have accepted Taliban-appointed officials as diplomats, Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the government in Kabul. This lack of recognition is unlikely to come in the way of India’s efforts to ramp up its ties with the Taliban as it maintains its ties are guided by historical relations and friendship with the people of Afghanistan. While India already has projects across the 34 provinces of the country, it has also committed to engaging in more development projects soon, while continuing with its ongoing humanitarian assistance programme, buoyed by the support it has received from the Taliban. Apart from Delhi, Muttaqi is also likely to travel to Agra and Deoband. He was earlier also planning to travel to Mumbai and Hyderabad but that has now been cancelled.
