Afghanistan Soil Should Not Be Used For Terror Activities Against India: MEA On New Taliban Regime

Responding to the question of whether India will have more meetings with the Taliban, the MEA spokesperson said he does not want to speculate.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. (Image: ANI)

New Delhi: Even as the world continues to wait and see what lies ahead for Afghanistan, India says that its immediate focus is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorist activities directed against it. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India used the meeting in Doha to convey its concerns over the possible use of the Afghan territory for anti-India activities and to bring back the remaining Indians from Afghanistan.

"We received a positive response," he said referring to the meeting between Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal and Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha two days ago. 

When asked whether India would recognise a Taliban regime in the backdrop of the meeting between the two sides, Bagchi said: " It was just a meeting. I think these are very early days."

Responding to the question of whether India will have more meetings with the Taliban, the MEA spokesperson said he does not want to speculate.

"I would not like to speculate on the future. I have no update to share on that," he said. On bringing back the remaining Indians from Afghanistan, Bagchi said India will be able to revisit the matter once the Kabul airport resumes operation.

"Currently Kabul airport is not operational. We will resume our operation to evacuate people from Kabul as soon the airport service will resume," Bagchi said. 

Taliban All Set To Announce New Govt

Taliban are all set to announce the formation of a new government in Kabul on the lines of the Iranian leadership, with the group's top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada as Afghanistan's supreme authority, a senior member of the group has said.

According to reports, consultations are almost finalised on the new government in Afghanistan and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet. Taliban are all set to announce the formation of the new government in Kabul in the next three days.

The Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul will be functional in the next 48 hours and people with valid travel documents will be allowed to leave the country, a Taliban leader told news agency PTI adding that it will cost USD 25-30 million to renovate the airport.