India and five Central Asian countries on 7 March expressed their shared belief that Afghanistan should not be a base for terrorist activities. The announcement came after India announced that it would provide an additional 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. The wheat will be supplied in partnership with the United Nations World Food Program and will be shipped through the Chabahar port in Iran.
The move comes months after India pledged to provide 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. The consignment was sent using the land route through Pakistan, which was granted after months of discussion.
During the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group Afghanistan In New Delhi, the participants discussed the regional threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalization and drug trafficking. They jointly explored ways to counter these threats and emphasized that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for shelter, training, planning or financing any terrorist activities.
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The meeting also highlighted the importance of building a truly inclusive and representative political structure that respects the rights of all Afghans, including equal rights for women, girls and minority groups. In December, India criticized the Taliban’s decision to ban university education for women in Afghanistan.
Representatives from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting, along with representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Food Programme.
They exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan including political, security and humanitarian aspects. Emphasizing respect for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs, they reiterated support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan.
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The participants also discussed providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The WFP country representative in Afghanistan briefed the participants on the India-WFP partnership to deliver food aid to the Afghan people and made a presentation on the current humanitarian situation including aid requirements for the coming year.
The country representative of the Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan highlighted the partnership between India and the Office on Drugs and Crime in fighting the narcotics menace in Afghanistan. India offered capacity building training courses to relevant stakeholders/partner agencies of the Office on Drugs and Crime and relevant officials/stakeholders of the Central Asian Republics in the field of combating drug trafficking.
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The Joint Working Group thanked India for holding the meeting at the level of senior officials and agreed to continue consultations in this format on a regular basis. India has not yet recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been advocating for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.
India has also been calling for uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to address the humanitarian crisis facing the country. In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a “technical team” at its embassy. After the Taliban seized power in August 2021, India withdrew its officials from the embassy due to concerns about its security.
(with agency inputs)
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