KABUL: In a first since the Taliban takeover, India has sent a diplomatic team to Afghanistan. Reports suggest that the Indian team in Kabul will conduct talks with the Taliban leadership. According to official sources, the Indian government has sent the team to oversee humanitarian assistance. The team is being led by J P Singh, Joint Secretary, Pakistan Afghanistan Iran (PAI) division of the Ministry of External Affairs. During the visit, the team will also meet representatives of the international organizations involved in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.

Although India does not publicly recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, it continues to provide assistance to the Afghan people like before. Essential commodities such as wheat, vaccines and clothes have been shipped to Afghanistan. So far, India has provided an assistance of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 5,00,000 doses of Covid vaccine and winter clothing to the country. The wheat was sent by road via Pakistan. During civil war, India had also gifted one million doses of India-made Covaxin to Iran for Afghan refugees.

Before the Taliban takeover, India had maintained good relations with Afghanistan. The Afghan Parliament and the India-Afghanistan friendship dam in western Herat Province were proof of the nations’ ties. Indian intervention in Pakistan has always been a problem for Pakistan. Following Taliban takeover, the Pak intelligence agency was planning to end India’s intervention in Afghanistan. However, the Indian team’s visit to Afghanistan has turned out to be a huge blow for Pak plans.