The Taliban government came to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after overthrowing the US-backed Hamid Karzai government. In solidarity with the international consensus, India has yet to recognize the Taliban government.
However, after a long time, a senior official of the Indian government had a formal meeting with the acting defense minister of Afghanistan. This is the first such meeting held. Along with this, this Indian official also met with the ousted president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.
Pakistani media Dawn reported this information on The Wire in a report on Saturday.
According to the report of The Wire published on Friday, a meeting was held between the Acting Defense Minister of the Taliban, Maulvi Muhammad Yakub Mujahid, and the Joint Secretary for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran Affairs of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, JP Singh, in Kabul on November 5.
Apart from this, JP Singh also met with the acting foreign minister of the Taliban, Amir Khan Muttaki, and the former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.
JP Singh visited Kabul for the second time this year.
According to the report of The Wire, the two sides expressed interest in the development of bilateral relations, especially humanitarian cooperation and strengthening communication between Afghanistan and India.
As The Wire first revealed in May 2023, the Taliban government attempted to remove the then-Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's government-appointed ambassador to India and appoint diplomat Qadir Shah as chargé d'affaires.
After the departure of Afghan Ambassador Farid Mamundzai and most Afghan diplomats to India last year, the Afghan community, including the students there, was left in a state of uncertainty.
