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Officials were continuously monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of Indian officials and nationals in Afghanistan.
India on Tuesday dismissed speculation about the closure of its embassy and two consulates in Afghanistan even as Afghan envoy Farid Mamundzay briefed foreign secretary Harsh Shringla on the fragile security situation in the troubled country.
People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Indian authorities were keeping a very close watch on the fluid situation in Afghanistan, especially against the backdrop of a massive surge in violence by the Afghan Taliban, to ensure that Indian officials and nationals were not put in harm’s way.
Gains by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan have led to some countries closing their consulates in this region. Reports suggested some districts collapsed without a fight and that some 1,000 Afghan security personnel crossed the border to seek refuge in Tajikistan. There were also reports that the Turkish and Russian missions in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, have been closed.
Amid the uncertainty, the Indian embassy in Kabul ruled out the immediate closure of the Indian missions in Afghanistan.
“Media reports on #India closing its Embassy & Consulates in [Afghanistan] are incorrect. @IndianEmbKabul, Consulates in Kandahar & Mazar are open, functioning. We DO HOWEVER continue to closely monitor the evolving security situation particularly around Kandahar & Mazar cities,” the embassy tweeted.
The people cited above said officials were continuously monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of Indian officials and nationals. “As of now, the embassy and consulates are functioning and everything is connected to the evolving situation,” a person said.
The Indian side is keen to not do anything that would send a wrong signal to the Afghan government or elements that have sought to use Afghanistan for anti-India actions, the people said, adding New Delhi would also keep a watch on the actions of other key players such as the US.
In a separate development, Afghan ambassador Mamundzay briefed foreign secretary Shringla during a meeting in South Block. This was the first one-to-one meeting between the two officials since the envoy assumed office in New Delhi. Joint secretary JP Singh, the external affairs ministry’s pointperson for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, was also present at the meeting.
“Ambassador briefed FS on the security situation in Afghanistan. FS assured our Afghan friends of India’s long term commitment towards peace and prosperity in Afghanistan,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted after the meeting but didn’t give details.
The people cited above said the Afghan envoy’s briefing on the situation touched upon the overall security situation, including the gains made by the Taliban and the actions taken by Afghan security forces to drive back the militants, especially over the past two days.
The Afghan side sought India’s cooperation at the UN Security Council for the listing and delisting of Taliban leaders and commanders under UNSC Resolution 1267, the people said. There is a perception on the Afghan side that far too much leeway has been given to sanctioned Taliban leaders in easing restrictions on their movements.
The Afghan side also sought India’s help in addressing a shortage in food supplies, especially wheat, the people said. Last year, India shipped 75,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Iran’s Chabahar port as humanitarian assistance to overcome food insecurity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Afghanistan has so far not sought any security assistance amid the spike in Taliban violence, and this remains a sensitive issue for India. New Delhi has in the past assisted Kabul by providing a limited number of helicopter gunships and spare parts for Russian-origin military hardware.
The situation in Afghanistan is expected to figure during external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Russia during July 7-9. Russia has its own concerns about instability in Afghanistan spilling over into several Central Asian states and is keen to mount a coordinated response along with India.
The Taliban have taken over Sher Khan Bandar crossing, the main trade gateway to Tajikistan that is located north of Kunduz city, over the past fortnight. Another border town, Bandar-e-Hairatan in Balkh province, which is the main trade gateway to Uzbekistan, has been under threat from the Taliban.
On June 29, India issued a detailed and specific security advisory for its nationals in Afghanistan following an escalation in terrorist attacks, warning that they should exercise utmost vigilance as they faced a “serious threat of kidnapping”. Indian nationals were strongly advised to avoid all non-essential movements.
According to the external affairs ministry’s data, there are around 3,100 Indian nationals in Afghanistan. A majority of them are engineers and staff working on hundreds of development projects being implemented across the country. India is the largest regional donor in Afghanistan, with pledges of around $3 billion.
www.hindustantimes.com
India on Tuesday dismissed speculation about the closure of its embassy and two consulates in Afghanistan even as Afghan envoy Farid Mamundzay briefed foreign secretary Harsh Shringla on the fragile security situation in the troubled country.
People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Indian authorities were keeping a very close watch on the fluid situation in Afghanistan, especially against the backdrop of a massive surge in violence by the Afghan Taliban, to ensure that Indian officials and nationals were not put in harm’s way.
Gains by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan have led to some countries closing their consulates in this region. Reports suggested some districts collapsed without a fight and that some 1,000 Afghan security personnel crossed the border to seek refuge in Tajikistan. There were also reports that the Turkish and Russian missions in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, have been closed.
Amid the uncertainty, the Indian embassy in Kabul ruled out the immediate closure of the Indian missions in Afghanistan.
“Media reports on #India closing its Embassy & Consulates in [Afghanistan] are incorrect. @IndianEmbKabul, Consulates in Kandahar & Mazar are open, functioning. We DO HOWEVER continue to closely monitor the evolving security situation particularly around Kandahar & Mazar cities,” the embassy tweeted.
The people cited above said officials were continuously monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of Indian officials and nationals. “As of now, the embassy and consulates are functioning and everything is connected to the evolving situation,” a person said.
The Indian side is keen to not do anything that would send a wrong signal to the Afghan government or elements that have sought to use Afghanistan for anti-India actions, the people said, adding New Delhi would also keep a watch on the actions of other key players such as the US.
In a separate development, Afghan ambassador Mamundzay briefed foreign secretary Shringla during a meeting in South Block. This was the first one-to-one meeting between the two officials since the envoy assumed office in New Delhi. Joint secretary JP Singh, the external affairs ministry’s pointperson for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, was also present at the meeting.
“Ambassador briefed FS on the security situation in Afghanistan. FS assured our Afghan friends of India’s long term commitment towards peace and prosperity in Afghanistan,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted after the meeting but didn’t give details.
The people cited above said the Afghan envoy’s briefing on the situation touched upon the overall security situation, including the gains made by the Taliban and the actions taken by Afghan security forces to drive back the militants, especially over the past two days.
The Afghan side sought India’s cooperation at the UN Security Council for the listing and delisting of Taliban leaders and commanders under UNSC Resolution 1267, the people said. There is a perception on the Afghan side that far too much leeway has been given to sanctioned Taliban leaders in easing restrictions on their movements.
The Afghan side also sought India’s help in addressing a shortage in food supplies, especially wheat, the people said. Last year, India shipped 75,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Iran’s Chabahar port as humanitarian assistance to overcome food insecurity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Afghanistan has so far not sought any security assistance amid the spike in Taliban violence, and this remains a sensitive issue for India. New Delhi has in the past assisted Kabul by providing a limited number of helicopter gunships and spare parts for Russian-origin military hardware.
The situation in Afghanistan is expected to figure during external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Russia during July 7-9. Russia has its own concerns about instability in Afghanistan spilling over into several Central Asian states and is keen to mount a coordinated response along with India.
The Taliban have taken over Sher Khan Bandar crossing, the main trade gateway to Tajikistan that is located north of Kunduz city, over the past fortnight. Another border town, Bandar-e-Hairatan in Balkh province, which is the main trade gateway to Uzbekistan, has been under threat from the Taliban.
On June 29, India issued a detailed and specific security advisory for its nationals in Afghanistan following an escalation in terrorist attacks, warning that they should exercise utmost vigilance as they faced a “serious threat of kidnapping”. Indian nationals were strongly advised to avoid all non-essential movements.
According to the external affairs ministry’s data, there are around 3,100 Indian nationals in Afghanistan. A majority of them are engineers and staff working on hundreds of development projects being implemented across the country. India is the largest regional donor in Afghanistan, with pledges of around $3 billion.
India not closing missions in Afghanistan, says MEA as Taliban expands footprint
Officials were continuously monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of Indian officials and nationals in Afghanistan.
