NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Afghanistan, on Thursday met Narendra Modi Prime Minister India, at his official residence and briefed him on the peace process and the updates on the ongoing talks, held between the Afghan government and the Taliban at Doha, Qatar.
During the discussion PM Modi has affirmed Afghan of India’s continued support for the peace process in Afghanistan.
Abdullah tweeted after the meeting “Pleased to meet HE Narendra Modi @narendramodi, the Prime Minister of Republic of #India. In our friendly discussion, we took stock of the latest developments on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, the talks in Doha, & India’s support for the peace efforts.” “HE PM assured me of India’s continued support for the peace process, & Afghanistan. I thanked him & the people of India for the invitation, & generous hospitality. I also thanked India for its principled position on the #AfghanPeaceProcess”.
Abdullah also is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and hold talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday.
Before arriving in India, Abdullah in a statement had said India was a “strategic partner of Afghanistan” and “the role of India in establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region is vital.” He stated that he would discuss the need for regional consensus and support for the Afghan peace process from Indian leadership.
Revoi had earlier published Abdullah’s proposed visit to India as an outreach to key countries within the surrounding region for seeking support for the continued peace negotiations in Doha. The visit to India follows his earlier visit to Pakistan where he had met Imran Khan Prime Minister and Shah Mahmood Qureshi the foreign minister and Qamar Bajwa the Chief of the Army.
On Wednesday evening, Abdullah had met Ajit Doval the National Security Adviser, who apprised him that India favoured a democratic and sovereign Afghanistan “where no terrorists can operate.” A formal dinner for the visiting delegation of the High Council for National Reconciliation was also hosted by Doval. He was accompanied by Harsh Shringla, the Foreign Secretary, Gen Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Defence Staff, M M Narvane, the Chief of Army and some senior officials of the external affairs ministry.
(Venkatesh Iyer)