India will raise the issue of support being extended to terrorism in Afghanistan from Pakistani soil as delegates from major countries meet in Uzbekistan over the next two days to breathe life into the peace process in the war-torn country.
Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar will lead the Indian delegation at the crucial meet convened by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to revive the peace process.
Akbar is expected to underline India’s call for stopping all forms of cross-border support to terror groups in Afghanistan, where New Delhi is engaged in a massive economic and humanitarian assistance programme. At the same time, India is also expected to flag its concern with regard to the peace efforts in the embattled nation.
India is likely to reiterate in no uncertain manner that the reconciliation process must be ”Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.” Akbar is also expected to make it clear that the Taliban ranks must eschew violence and affirm their full faith in the Afghan Constitution if they wished to join the peace talks, knowledgeable sources said.
India has, meanwhile, decided to undertake more development projects in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people stand on their own feet. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, reassuring him of India’s commitment to the Afghan cause. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale recently participated in the ‘Kabul Process’ meeting in the Afghan capital on behalf of India.
The conference in Uzbekistan is taking place at a time when Afghanistan has witnessed a significant upsurge in Taliban-orchestrated terror attacks, leaving hundreds dead and injured. The US and Russia, both strategic partners of India, have been at odds over how to restore peace and stability in the land-locked nation amid recent efforts by the Ashraf Ghani government to invite the Taliban for peace talks.
The conference will be attended by the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries and senior representatives from the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Nations and the European Union.