India invites Pakistan, other regional powers for NSA-level talks on Afghanistan

NEW DELHI – India has sent invitations to regional countries, including Pakistan, to hold talks about the developing situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban regained power after toppling the West-backed government in mid-August.

Delhi has invited the national security advisors of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan for the meeting to be held in November.

Reports said that Pakistan’s NSA Moeed Yusuf has received the invitation but the decision on participation is yet to make.

The meeting will be chaired by India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Meanwhile, Russia will host China, the US, and Pakistan for talks on Afghanistan on October 19, reported Russian media on Friday.

The countries "will try to work out a common position on the changing situation in Afghanistan," the reports cited Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president's special envoy for Afghanistan, as saying.

Kabulov said that the members of the Taliban government will also take part in the talks next week. However, they have not yet announced the members of the delegation.

Reuters reported that India and Iran would also join the talks on Moscow on Tuesday.

Back in March this year, Moscow hosted an international conference on Afghanistan. The event was attended by the United States, China and Pakistan, which had urged the Taliban and Ashraf Ghani’s government to strike a peace deal in order to end long violence.  

Since then, the United States and its allies started withdrawing their troops after 20 years on the ground. Before the completion of the withdrawal, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.

The interim government structure announced by the Taliban is seeking the world’s help to avert the looming humanitarian crisis in the country and remove other militant groups like Daesh.

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