No country should be allowed to use Afghan territory to export terrorism and radicalisation, underscored national security advisor Ajit Doval at a key Afghanistan-centric multi-country meeting in Russia earlier this week.
Speaking at the 5th multilateral meeting of secretaries of security councils/NSAs on Afghanistan in Moscow, Doval said that natural resources in Afghanistan should be utilised first for the welfare of its people.
His comments come in the backdrop of reports that the Taliban administration has leased out some reserves of lithium – known as white gold owing to its high demand across the globe – to Chinese companies.
“Afghanistan is passing through a difficult phase. India has a historical and special relationship with Afghanistan. The well-being and humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan are India’s foremost priority. This will continue to guide our approach,” he told delegates at the meeting.
Stressing that India will never abandon the Afghan people in their time of need, the NSA informed that India has so far delivered 40,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 60 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of Covid vaccines, winter clothing and 28 tons of disaster relief material to Afghanistan.
“India’s technical team is overseeing our humanitarian assistance programme. Standing with Aghans, India has granted fresh scholarships to 2260 Afghan students including 300 Afghan girls during the past two years,” he said.
He reiterated New Delhi’s demand for an inclusive and representative dispensation in Kabul in the “larger interest of Afghan society”.
Expressing concerns over mushrooming radical Islamic, anti-India outfits in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, Doval said that terrorism has emerged as a major threat in the region.
“Dealing with Daesh and terror outfits like LeT and JeM requires intensified intelligence and security cooperation between respective nations and their agencies. India reaffirmed the importance of UNSCR 2593 (2021) which calls for terror outfits including those designated by UNSCR 1267 to be denied sanctuary in the region,” he said.
The national security advisor said that India will continue to remain an “important stakeholder” in Afghanistan. “We always stood by the people of Afghanistan and will always support collective efforts to help Afghan people build a prosperous and vibrant nation once again.”
Apart from the host Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.
The 3rd round of this conference was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of NSA Ajit Doval in November 2021. The 4th meeting was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in May last year.