Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday slammed the Centre for talks with the Taliban at a non-official level while not doing the same by engaging with the Kashmiri separatist leadership.
“If ‘non-official’ participation in a dialogue that includes the Taliban is acceptable to the Modi government why not a ‘non-official’ dialogue with non-mainstream stake holders in J&K? Why not a ‘non-official’ dialogue centered around J&K’s eroded autonomy and its restoration?” he asked on Twitter.
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India on Thursday confirmed that it will attend, albeit at a non-official level, a multilateral meeting in Moscow on Afghanistan on Friday where the Afghan Taliban will also be present.
This is the first time that India will be sharing talks table with the Afghan Taliban on issues of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Last week the Russian foreign ministry had said that the international talks on Afghanistan will be held on November 9.
In response to the queries on India’s participation, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “We are aware that the Russian Federation is hosting a meeting in Moscow on 9 November on Afghanistan.”
“Our participation at the meeting will be at the non-official level,” he said.
India supports all efforts at peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan that will preserve unity and plurality, and bring security, stability and prosperity to the country, he said.
“India’s consistent policy has been that such efforts should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled and with the participation of the government of Afghanistan,” Kumar asserted.
Moscow said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban have agreed to send delegations to the conference.
Moscow has invited representatives from the US as well as India, Iran, China, Pakistan and five former Soviet republics in Central Asia to take part in the event.
(With agency inputs)
