India to consider engaging in development projects in Afghanistan

India will consider engaging in development projects in Afghanistan in the near future, India’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, despite the lack of diplomatic relations.

The statement followed a meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai, the first publicly acknowledged high-level interaction between the two countries since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

“In response to the request from the Afghan side, India will provide further material support in the first instance to the health sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees,” the statement said.

It said the two sides discussed various issues pertaining to bilateral relations as well as regional developments.

“The Afghan side underlined its sensitivities to India’s security concerns. The two sides agreed to remain in touch and continue regular contacts at various levels.

“Foreign secretary underlined India’s historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people-to-people contacts between the two countries. In this context, he conveyed India’s readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people,” the statement said.

“The Afghan minister appreciated and thanked the Indian leadership for continuing to engage and support the people of Afghanistan. In view of the current need for development activities, it was decided that India would consider engaging in development projects in the near future, in addition to the ongoing humanitarian assistance programme,” the statement added.

“The two sides also discussed strengthening sports (cricket) cooperation, which is highly valued by the young generation of Afghanistan. It was also agreed to promote the use of Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities, including for the purpose of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan,” it maintained.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Afghan side said Muttaqi thanked India for its humanitarian assistance and added that according to its balanced and economy-oriented foreign policy, his government wanted to have political and economic relations with India as an important and economic country in the region.

“The foreign minister assured the Indian side that there is no danger to anyone from Afghanistan and expressed the hope of increasing diplomatic relations and creating facilities related to visas for businessmen, patients and students,” according to the statement.

It further said that the Indian foreign secretary “praised the Islamic Emirate’s fight against drugs and corruption in the country” and added that India was willing to expand relations with Afghanistan in the political and economic fields and to promote trade through Chabahar port in Iran.

Both sides agreed to facilitate visas and trade, the Afghan statement concluded.

Talking to Dawn.com, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said the development was “very predictable”.

He added: “Whenever differences and tensions appear in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, India would find an opportunity to increase its space and deter Afghanistan’s fraternal neighbourly relations with Pakistan.”

He said the only way to deal with the situation was to focus on “working out a way of engaging with Afghanistan to resolve our mutual concerns”.

India has so far dispatched several shipments consisting of wheat, medicines, Covid vaccines and winter clothing to Afghanistan.

India does not recognise the Taliban government which seized power in 2021 and closed its own embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took control that year.

Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi was closed in November 2023 after diplomats appointed by the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban failed to secure visa extensions from their Indian hosts.