President Joe Biden’s administration is far away from legitimising or recognising the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, conveyed to senior officials of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sherman discussed the situation in Afghanistan with her counterpart, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, and the Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
She later told journalists that India and the United States had “one mind and one approach” on Afghanistan. She also said that India’s security concerns were the “first and foremost” and at the “front and centre” for the United States.
She conveyed to Shringla and Doval that the US was far away from legitimising, let alone recognising, the interim government the Taliban set up in Afghanistan, according to the sources in New Delhi.
She told journalists that the US was building a robust “Over-the-Horizon” capability for aerial surveillance and neutralizing terror threats in Afghanistan.
She, however, did not elaborate on a discussion between Washington and New Delhi on prospects of cooperation between the security establishments of the two nations on “Over-the-Horizon” capabilities, which the Biden Administration of late repeatedly highlighted as a means for dealing with terror threats after withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
The Foreign Secretary and the National Security Advisor conveyed to the US Deputy Secretary of State India’s position on Pakistan’s role not only in supporting the Taliban and its associate Haqqani Network’s return to power in Afghanistan but also in forming a government, which lacked inclusivity.
Sherman visited New Delhi to follow up on the outcomes of the Biden-Modi meeting in Washington last month.
The Taliban returned to power in Kabul last month through a swift military campaign across Afghanistan, taking advantage of the withdrawal of troops by the US and its NATO allies. The militant organization on September 8 announced an interim government in Afghanistan, with hardly any representation of the ethnic communities other than the Pashtuns. It also had no representation of women or religious minorities of Afghanistan.
New Delhi’s position on the new government in Kabul was articulated by the Prime Minister himself. He said on September 17 that the new regime in Afghanistan was not inclusive and it had not been installed through negotiation. He also urged the global community to tread cautiously on recognizing the new regime in Afghanistan.
Sherman said that no country was in a rush on recognising the Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan or giving legitimacy to it.
She told journalists that both the US and India shared the same view that the Taliban must ensure an inclusive government and respect the rights of all sections of the society in Afghanistan, including the women and the religious and ethnic minorities.
She said that the Taliban must also allow people willing to leave Afghanistan to do so and stop using the country to export terror or pose threat to other nations.
The US Deputy Secretary of State is set to visit Pakistan after concluding her visit to India.
During her talks with Foreign Secretary and the National Security Advisor, she, however, dismissed the speculation that the US was once again hyphenating India and Pakistan.
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