India told the U.N. Security Council that it calls for a “pragmatic engagement” with the Taliban as New Delhi underlined that a focus on only punitive measures will ensure a ‘business as usual’ approach.
He reiterated India’s commitment to meeting the development needs of the people of Afghanistan.
Mr. Harish said the recent decision by the Indian Government to restore the status of Delhi’s technical mission in Kabul to that of an Embassy “underscores this resolve”. “We will continue our engagements with all stakeholders to augment our contribution to Afghanistan’s comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in keeping with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society,” he said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in New Delhi on a six-day trip in October, the first senior Taliban Minister to visit India after the group seized power in Kabul in 2021.
India had withdrawn its officials from its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in the Afghan capital by deploying a “technical team”.“India continues to closely monitor the security situation in Afghanistan,” Mr. Harish said.
India urges unified action on terror threats
He emphasised that the international community must coordinate efforts towards ensuring that entities and individuals designated by the U.N. Security Council — the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and Al Qaida and their affiliates, including the Lashkar e Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed and proxies of LeT such as The Resistance Front (TRF), along with those who facilitate their operations — no longer indulge in cross border terrorism.
“We also note with grave concern the practice of ‘trade and transit terrorism’ that the people of Afghanistan are being subjected to by the cynical closure of access for a land-locked country whose people have been suffering numerous debilitating conditions for many years,” Mr. Harish said.
“These acts are in violation of WTO (World Trade Organisation) norms. Such open threats and acts of war against a fragile and vulnerable LLDC (Land-Locked Developing Countries) nation, trying to rebuild in difficult circumstances, constitute a blatant violation of the U.N. Charter and international law”, he said.
“Coordinated regional and international cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan is paramount, as is strongly engaging relevant parties for promoting peace, stability and development in the country,” he said.
Mr. Harish added that provision of humanitarian assistance and building the capacities of the Afghan people have always remained India’s priorities.“India already has more than 500 development partnership projects across all Provinces,” he said.
As was decided during Mr. Muttaqi’s recent visit to Delhi would further deepen its engagement in development cooperation projects, particularly in the sectors of healthcare, public infrastructure and capacity-building.“We will continue working with U.N. agencies in critical areas such as health, food security, education and sports,” Harish said.
The Indian envoy said that the visit of Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi to India also helped further cooperation on connectivity, trade facilitation and market access.Mr. Azizi visited India along with a trade delegation from November 19-25.
