India & US are closely watching Pakistan's actions in Afghanistan: Foreign Secretary Shringla

Washington, September 04: While highlighting that Pakistan is supporting and nurturing the Taliban, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, their role in the Taliban takeover could not be overlooked. Looking at that he added that India and the United States are closely watching Pakistan’s actions in Afghanistan.

 

 

Shringla said Pakistan has “supported and nurtured the Taliban, and we have to watch Pakistan’s actions with a fine-tooth comb."

 

While speaking at the media interaction in Washington DC he said, "Like India, the US is also watching the situation very closely. Pakistan is a neighbour of Afghanistan. They have supported and nurtured the Taliban. There are various elements that are Pakistan supported-- so its role has to be seen in that context."

 

 

Shringla also said that the US will have a wait-and-watch policy about how the situation evolves in Afghanistan, adding that India also has a similar policy.

 

“That doesn't mean you don't do anything. It simply means that you have to... the situation is very fluid on the ground, you have to allow it to see how it evolves. You have to see whether the assurances that have been made publicly are maintained on the ground, and how things work out, he said.

 

The foreign secretary further said that in the limited engagement that India has had with the Taliban, the new Afghan rulers have indicated that they would be reasonable in addressing New Delhi's concerns. “Our engagement with them (the Taliban) has been limited. It's not that we have (had) a robust conversation. But for whatever conversation we've had so far, they've been sort of. At least, the Taliban seem to indicate that they will be reasonable in the way they handle this,” Shringla said.

 

He was responding to a question about the recent meeting that India’s Ambassador in Qatar had with a senior Taliban leader in Doha.

 

“In our statement, we have said that we have told them that we want them to be cognisant of the fact that there should be no terrorism that emanates from their territory directed against us or other countries; that we want them to be mindful of the status of women, minorities and so on so forth.

 

And, and I think they have, also, you know, made reassuring from their side,” he said.

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