Not aware of nature of next govt in Afghanistan, evacuation priority: MEA
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the evacuation operation that has remained halted since the past few days would resume one the Kabul airport became operational.
India was not aware of any details or nature of the government that could be formed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, the government said on Thursday.
Addressing a briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the evacuation operation that has remained halted since the past few days would resume one the Kabul airport became operational.
“Currently Kabul airport is not operational. We will resume our operation to evacuate people from Kabul as soon the airport service will resume,” he said, adding India's current priority was the safety of Indian people in Kabul.
The airport, the scene of a frenzied evacuation which ended with the withdrawal of US troops on Tuesday, is out of operation with much of its infrastructure degraded or destroyed.
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Earlier in the day, it was reported Qatar is working with the Taliban to reopen Kabul's airport as soon as possible, and urging the hardline Islamists to allow Afghans to leave.
India established its first formal contact with the Taliban on Tuesday. Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met the head of Taliban's political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, in Doha at the Indian mission.
Talks were reportedly held on the safety of Indians, especially minorities, in the war-torn country. Mittal also urged the Taliban that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorist activities against India.
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When asked about further meetings with the Islamic militant group that took over the war-ravaged country last month, Bagchi said he had no update on the same. "Do not want to speculate. It's not a matter of yes and no. Our aim is that Afghanistan's land should not be used for terror activity of any kind," he said.
To a volley of questions on whether India would recognise a Taliban regime in the backdrop of the meeting, Bagchi said, " It was just a meeting. I think these are very early days."
(With agency inputs)
