India’s envoy toQatar Deepak Mittal on Tuesday met senior Taliban leader SherMohammad Stanikzai, head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, a statementissued by the Indian foreign ministry said in what appears to be the first-everofficial meeting between the two sides.
“Today, Ambassador ofIndia to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head ofTaliban’s Political Office in Doha. The meeting took place at the Embassy ofIndia, Doha, at the request of the Taliban side,” the statement said.
“Discussions focusedon safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded inAfghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish tovisit India also came up,” it said.
“Ambassador Mittalraised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used foranti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner,” the Indian statementfurther added.
The Talibanrepresentative assured the ambassador that these issues would be positivelyaddressed, the statement added.
Taliban spokesperson ZabihullahMujahid told India Today on Monday that India is an important country inthe region and the new regime in Afghanistan will not be a threat to them.
In an exclusiveinterview, Zabihullah Mujahid recounted India's good relations withAfghanistan and said the new government formed under the Taliban wouldwant good relations with India.
Asked about reportssuggesting the Taliban siding with Pakistan against India, Zabihullah Mujahidsaid such reports were baseless. "The Taliban won't allow any othercountry to be endangered by us. We assure India that our side will not be athreat to them," he said.