Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 6 SEP: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at his residence to discuss the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, with Taliban claims of total control over the country.
They also discussed Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed’s presence in Kabul. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were also present at the meeting.
Sources said India is closely watching the top resistance leadership in Afghanistan, and a discussion on engagement with the Taliban was also on the cards.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday said that he had been told that National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) leader Ahmad Massoud, and former vice president Amrullah Saleh, had escaped to neighbouring Tajikistan, according to Reuters, and said they would be announcing a new government soon.
The NRFA, however, denied the Taliban’s claims of capturing Panjshir.
Meanwhile, more than three weeks after Taliban seized control of Kabul, there is still no clarity on the formation of a government.
Last week, India’s Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal had met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Taliban’s political office, at the Indian Embassy in Doha.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the meeting was held at the request of the Taliban. The Ministry, in its press release, also said: “Ambassador Mittal raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.”
According to the MEA, the Taliban representative had assured that “these issues would be positively addressed”.
Tags: #NarendraModi #Afghanistan, #Taliban #AjitDoval #RajnathSingh #AmitShah
