Russia & Iran to attend India's NSA-level meet as Pakistan skips, but what about China?

India will be hosting the NSA-level Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10, sources have confirmed. The meeting will be led by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and will see overwhelming participation of Central Asian countries along with Russia and Iran.

Previously, two meetings in this format have been held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019, but this will be the first time that all Central Asian countries, not just Afghanistan’s immediate land neighbours, are participating in this format. While Pakistan has indicated its absence from the meeting, China is yet to confirm its attendance.  

"There has been an overwhelming response to India’s invitation. Central Asian countries as well as Russia and Iran have confirmed participation. The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India’s role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," government sources were quoted as saying.

Pakistan's refusal an attempt to 'deflect attention'

Earlier this week, Pakistan's NSA Dr Moeed Yusuf confirmed that he will not accept India's invitation to attend the meeting. Answering a question on whether Pakistan has accepted India's invitation to attend the conference, Dr Moeed Yusuf said, "I will not go." The country had been invited for the high-level meeting in spite of reports establishing its open collusion with the Taliban which caused significant damage to resistance forces in Panjshir. In the aftermath of the fall of Kabul, Imran Khan's government made repeated appeals to the international community to recognise the legitimacy of the Taliban-led government.

Addressing Pakistan's absence, government sources stated that the country's decision reflected its mindset towards Afghanistan and its attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in the fall of their government.

"Pakistan’s decision is unfortunate, but not surprising. It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format. Its media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan," sources said.

The high-level participation by  Russia, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reflects the widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and the desire to consult and coordinate with each other. India has an important role to play in this process, sources stated.

(With Agency Inputs)