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India reiterates call for immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan
India backs a united, democratic and sovereign Afghanistan and has participated in several key meetings aimed at helping chart a way forward in Afghanistan, including the Doha Conference, the Geneva Conference and the Heart of Asia Conference in Dushanbe.
India on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan to end a wave of violence and targeted killings, and said it is closely following the intra-Afghan peace process in the wake of the US decision to withdraw all its troops from the war-torn country.
Following US President Joe Biden’s announcement about withdrawing all American forces by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in September, secretary of state Antony Blinken visited Kabul on Thursday to discuss the transition with the Afghan leadership. Blinken also conveyed the US commitment to a continuing partnership with Afghanistan.
Reacting to these developments, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “We have noted the decision of the US to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and to end its military operations there. We are closely following the ongoing intra-Afghan peace process.”
Bagchi added, “We are deeply concerned about the increase in violence and targeted killings in Afghanistan. India has called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.”
The Afghan people, he said, have seen more than four decades of war and unrest and deserve long-lasting peace and development.
“India is of the view that an Afghan peace process should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. Any political settlement must be inclusive and should preserve the socio-economic and political gains of the past 19 years,” he said.
India backs a united, democratic and sovereign Afghanistan and has participated in several key meetings aimed at helping chart a way forward in Afghanistan, including the Doha Conference, the Geneva Conference and the Heart of Asia Conference in Dushanbe.
“India remains engaged with the Afghan stakeholders and also our regional and international partners regarding next steps,” Bagchi said.
After his talks in Kabul, Blinken told reporters that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and the only way toward a durable and lasting end to the war is through negotiations and a political agreement based on compromise.
“And I hope the Taliban understands that as well. If as our forces are withdrawing, the Taliban were to attack them, it would be met with a very forceful response. And of course, as I said, we’re going to continue to support the Afghan National Security Forces, but importantly we are doing everything we can now to advance diplomacy, to bring in regional and international partners so that everyone is using their influence and their leverage to advance a peaceful end to the conflict,” he said.
“It’s very important that the Taliban recognise that it will never be legitimate and it will never be durable if it rejects a political process and tries to take the country by force,” Blinken said.
