External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that the “rapid deterioration of the security situation” in Afghanistan is a serious matter.
“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan requires that the rights and interests of all sections of society are promoted and protected,” Jaishankar added in a tweet, after meeting Qatar envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani.
Since United States President Joe Biden announced in April that he would pull back troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken control of several districts in the country.
Al-Qahtani, whose official title is Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of Qatar for Counter-terrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution, is on a visit to India to discuss the developments in Afghanistan, PTI reported.
He also met Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla on Saturday.
In February 2020, a landmark agreement between the United States and the Taliban was signed in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Under the agreement, the US and Nato allies agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within fourteen months of the deal. The Taliban, on its part, agreed that it would not let Al-Qaeda or any other extremist group threaten the security of the US or its allies.
Doha was also the venue of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in June.
On August 11, talks among Russia, China, the US and Pakistan on the security situation in Afghanistan will also be held at Doha, according to PTI. India has not been invited to the meeting.
In a statement at the United Nations Security Council on June 22, Jaishankar said that India supports an inclusive, Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process.
Although the February 2020 agreement prevents the Taliban from capturing provincial capitals, the insurgent group is on the brink of capturing Lashkar Gah, the capital of the Helmand province, according to The Guardian.
On Friday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing of Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of Afghanistan’s Government Information Media Centre in Kabul.
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