New Delhi: In the first of its kind, special envoys from India and Pakistan held talks with the representatives of the Taliban in Oslo. The talk comes amid Afghan diplomats and activists opposing the meeting accusing the officials of legitimizing the Taliban regime in Kabul. India too has not recognized the Taliban administration that took over Kabul in 2021.
When asked about the meeting, a person familiar with the development in the Ministry of External Affairs said that a conference has been organized by the Peace research institute in Oslo, and several other countries participated apart from India and Pakistan.
There were talks held between the representatives of both sides. The MEA official noted that the meeting has nothing to do with India’s position on the Taliban regime while reiterating that New Delhi deployed the technical team in Kabul last year.
On the question if any back-channel talks between the representatives of India and Pakistan took place, a person familiar with the development said that there were no bilateral talks between the two sides. According to sources, the Taliban officials were present in Norway for a series of meetings with civil society members and diplomats as part of a two-day annual summit focused on conflict and peace diplomacy.
Previously, India and Pakistan took part in talks within the Moscow format hosted by Russia and a discussion held in Doha on the situation in Afghanistan. Taliban officials visited Norway amidst the backdrop of Afghanistan's severe humanitarian crisis following 20 years of war. The visit holds significance as it is the first time India and Pakistan have been invited to participate in discussions in a European country.
The Afghan officials from the foreign, defense, and interior ministries embarked on an official visit to Norway, where they engaged in closed-door meetings. Notably, the Taliban Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, was also present at these discussions. The participants in the meeting included special envoys from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Qatar, India, and Pakistan, as well as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative to Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, and representatives from Afghan civil society.
Meanwhile, India has decided to send 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as the country reels under an acute humanitarian crisis. The humanitarian aid will be sent via Iran’s Chabahar port which holds strategic importance for India, in an aid to provide some relief to the Afghans from severe food scarcity.
