Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says that India affirmed to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan at the Moscow Format Dialogue
Our Bureau
Moscow/New Delhi
In a big development, member countries taking part in the Moscow Format Dialogue in a joint statement expressed concern over the use of Afghan soil by proscribed terrorists. Russia on Thursday expressed concerns over the increasing presence of ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after the Taliban take over. Delhi is also accusing Pakistan spy agency of supporting anti-India terror groups Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish on Afghan soil.
Interestingly, India, Pakistan and the Taliban took part in 10 nation Moscow format talks. A joint statement issued after talks stated, “being concerned about the activities of proscribed terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, the sides reaffirmed their willingness to continue to promote security in Afghanistan to contribute to regional stability.”
Participating countries also called on the current Afghan leadership to take further steps to improve governance and to form a truly inclusive government that adequately reflects the interests of all major ethnopolitical forces in the country.
“This will be a fundamental prerequisite for the completion of the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan,” the joint statement added.
Expressing deep concern over the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the sides expressed confidence in the need for the international community to mobilize consolidated efforts to provide urgent humanitarian and economic assistance to the people of Afghanistan in the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.
In this context, the sides have proposed to launch a collective initiative to convene a broad-based international donor conference under the auspices of the United Nations as soon as possible.
Taliban had taken over Afghanistan overtaking the democratic government on August 15 this year.
Pakistan has been accused of overtly and covertly supporting the Taliban.
Earlier, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on Monday urged the world community to release the frozen assets of Afghanistan and engage with the Taliban administration and provide humanitarian assistance to prevent an “economic collapse” of the country.
According to Dawn, Khan made this appeal to the international community during his meeting with the outgoing Japanese Ambassador, Kuninori Matsuda at the Prime Minister’s House. Imran Khan also stressed on Pakistan’s interest in a “peaceful” and “stable” Afghanistan, reported Dawn. He reportedly highlighted the importance of “national reconciliation” and an “inclusive” political structure.
Notably, the Taliban has not been recognized by any country so far.
However, thousands of Afghans have received humanitarian assistance within a week from September 27 to October 3 across Afghanistan, a United Nations agency said earlier this month.
But Taliban’s interim government’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi has said that Afghanistan is stabilized now and no country will be threatened by it, a media report said. Speaking at the Moscow Format Dialogue on Afghanistan on Tuesday, Hanafi said that the Taliban will ensure that there will no threat, according to TOLOnews. Calling on the international community to recognize the Taliban’s interim government, he emphasized that isolating Afghanistan benefits no one.
Asking the US to release Afghanistan’s financial assets, Hanafi stressed that it has been proved that the pressure will not bring results, reported TOLOnews.
Underlining that Afghanistan is stable now, he said that no country will be threatened by Afghan territory.
The representatives of 10 countries and a high-level Taliban delegation are taking part in the Moscow-format meeting on Afghanistan. The Moscow format was introduced in 2017 on the basis of the six-party mechanism for consultations between special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India.
In an important move, Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Wednesday said that India affirmed to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan at the Moscow Format Dialogue. Mujahid shared the information from an unverified Twitter handle. “Indian envoy to Moscow Format Dialogue meeting said that the people of Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance; Afghanistan is going through a difficult situation. India is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan,” tweeted the Taliban spokesman.
A senior official of the Ministry of External affairs JP Singh is representing India at the Moscow consultations on Afghanistan.
As per Mujahid, the Taliban delegation of the Islamic Emirate met with Singh.
“A high-level delegation led by Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan met with JP Singh, Special Representative of India for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran and his accompanying delegation on the sidelines of the Moscow Format Meeting in Moscow today,” Mujahid said in a tweet.
