Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 10 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi raised concerns over the current state of India-Afghanistan relations on Friday. She questioned whether the central government would apply pressure on the Taliban to respect women's rights.
In her remarks about India-Afghanistan relations, Chaturvedi emphasised that India would not tolerate any problems arising from the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. She urged the government to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the country's foreign policy.
"Afghanistan's foreign minister is on his visit to India. India and Afghanistan have had a long-standing relationship, primarily based on people-to-people connections. India has always supported its citizens. However, the government that is currently ruling Afghanistan is the Taliban. They are the same people who hijacked our Flight IC 814 with Pakistan's cooperation... They are the Taliban, who do not allow women to pursue education... So, will our government pressure them to respect women's rights as per democratic and constitutional values? Moreover, regarding the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, we will not tolerate any issues arising from their association. Also, we need to assess how effective our constantly changing foreign policy is for our country," Chaturvedi told ANI.
On Thursday, Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in New Delhi for a week-long visit to India. Muttaqi's October 9-16 visit marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Afghanistan Foreign Ministry was cited by Tolo News as saying that during this visit, Muttaqi will meet with his Indian counterpart and other senior officials to discuss various issues, including "expanding relations between Kabul and New Delhi."
Although India does not formally recognise the Taliban, addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal confirmed on October 3 of the continued engagement with the interim government in Afghanistan, highlighting both diplomatic exchanges and humanitarian assistance following a recent earthquake in the region.
Previously, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken with Muttaqi over the phone this May, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had met him in Dubai earlier this year.
Expressing his gratitude for the reception in India, Muttaqi said, "I would like to welcome all and am glad to be in Delhi... This is my first time visiting India as the FM of Afghanistan, and I appreciate the warm hospitality shown to us by the Indian Foreign Minister and the Indian government.
"During bilateral meeting with Muttaqi, Jaishankar said that India would upgrade its Kabul mission to embassy in Kabul. The embassy was shut after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar handed over five ambulances as a "gesture of goodwill" to Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on Friday in the national capital.
The five ambulances are a part of the gift of 20 ambulances to Afghanistan as a gesture of goodwill.
In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "Also handed over 5 Ambulances to FM Muttaqi. This is part of the larger gift of 20 ambulances, and other medical equipment reflecting our long-standing support for the Afghan people."
During the bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Muttaqi, the EAM had underscored how, as a contiguous neighbour and a well-wisher of the Afghan people, India has a deep interest in Afghanistan's development and progress.