India's first formal contact with Taliban after US exit held in Doha

New Delhi: Less than a day after US troops fully withdrew from Afghanistan, India on Tuesday announced the first formal contact with the Taliban in Doha, with a senior Taliban leader visiting the Indian embassy in Qatar and conveying assurances on New Delhi's concerns.

The meeting took place following a request by the new rulers of the strife-hit country.

As per a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs, Ambassador Deepak Mittal, India's envoy to Qatar, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, Head of Taliban's Political Office in that country at the Indian Embassy in Doha.

According to the statement, the two discussed the safety, security, and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up during the meeting.

In the meeting, India also raised its concern over the use of Afghanistan's territory by terrorists, while Stanekzai assured him that these issues would be positively addressed.

"Ambassador Mittal raised India's concern that Afghanistan's soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner."

India has long had concerns about the Taliban because of the group's close ties to arch-rival Pakistan. The talks come days after Stanekzai was quoted in the local press as saying that the Taliban wanted political and economic ties with India. There was no immediate comment from the Taliban on the talks with the Indians.

Stanikzai, the Taliban representative Ambassador Mittal spoke on Tuesday, trained with the Indian Army between 1979 and 1982 -- three years in the Army Cadet College, Nowgaon, and then at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

India was earlier engaged with "important stakeholders in Afghanistan", and had adopted a "wait and watch" approach, a PTI report had said referring to a briefing to an all-party meeting by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

"India is working with its key partners and is continuing engagement with the people of Afghanistan," the report had said citing Shringla.