Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 13

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and met his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar, as part of regional consultations with all major powers of the near neighbourhood amid growing security concerns over the Taliban fighters rapidly seizing control of a large number of areas, forcing many countries to scale down their presence there.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar along with FMs from Russia, China, Pakistan and other countries will hear Atmar outline the Ashraf Ghani government’s proposals for reducing the violence, accelerating political conciliation and ensuring that the country does not become a nursery for terrorists.

Jaishankar is also likely to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the backdrop of their September 10, 2020, agreement in Moscow failing to reduce the confrontation between the two armies along the Line of Actual Control. It is not known whether he will meet Pakistan FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi after the acerbic comments by NSA Moeed Yusuf blaming India for the Lahore blasts.

Yusuf also did not show courtesy in greeting NSA Ajit Doval at the June SCO meet of NSAs in Dushanbe, said sources. Doval may have riled the Pakistani side by suggesting an action plan against Pakistan-based terror groups.

India may be willing to soft-pedal the proposal, say sources, because of greater concern to it now is the Taliban overlooking India while it got in touch with Iran, Russia and China to assure them that their security interests will be unharmed if it joins the Government in Kabul.

India is also keen to safeguard its interests in Afghanistan such as its work on carving a route to the sea bypassing Pakistan and developing one of the world’s biggest open iron ore mine in Hajigak province.

Jaishankar is also likely to attend a back-to-back conference on connectivity in Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

Before his departure, the minister addressed the EXIM Conclave on “Harnessing Africa-India Opportunity”, where he underlined the continuing Indian commitment to health cooperation, its digital delivery plans under which 17 African countries have joined e-Vidya Bharti and e-Arogya Bharti — India’s tele-medicine and tele-education efforts.

May hold talks with Chinese FM

• S Jaishankar, along with FMs from Russia, China, Pakistan and other countries, will hear Afghan FM outline the Ashraf Ghani government’s proposals for reducing violence and accelerating political conciliation
• He is also likely to meet Chinese FM in the backdrop of their Sept 2020 agreement failing to reduce the confrontation between the two armies along LAC