Afghanistan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar to visit India to hold talks on peace process

Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi today for talks with his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar. Atmar is expected to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 1:30 pm local time, where he will meet with officials and other dignitaries. Apart from holding talks with India’s Foreign Minister, Atmar is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes days after Washington unveiled its new approach toward the Afghan peace process, including India as a direct stakeholder. 

What’s in Afghan-India talks? 

Experts suggest that Atmar will seek India’s support on behalf of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who doesn’t want to see an interim government being formed in the country with the Taliban members as constituents. Earlier this month, the US administration had expressed the desire to see an interim government in Afghanistan with Taliban members as representatives in order to bring them at par with the elected establishment. Ghani has clearly opposed the idea for an interim government in Afghanistan, saying “as long as I am alive it’s not going to happen”. 

Earlier this month, in his letter to Ashraf Ghani and chairperson of Afghan peace process Abdullah Abdullah, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new Biden administration aims to accelerate the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Blinken, in his letter, said Washington is planning to ask the United Nations to convene a meeting of Foreign Ministers and envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the United States, making New Delhi a stakeholder in the process. 

Afghan peace talks

In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban agreed to a historic deal in an attempt to end the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. The deal requires parties to follow three key objectives - withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, end of violence in Taliban-controlled areas, and commencement of intra-Afghan talks. In September 2020, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban started in Doha, Qatar. However, the negotiations have suffered major roadblocks in the recent past over issues pertaining to release of prisoners.

On March 18, Russia hosted a meeting of all the stakeholders, including representatives from China, Pakistan and the United States. At the meeting, all parties unanimously rejected the idea of an Islamic Emirate, similar to the government run by the Taliban prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan. The paricipants also called on the Taliban to reduce violence in order to see the talks moving forward and reach a conclusion.