India was not taken into confidence on aspects of the Doha deal, says Jaishankar
He further underlined that though India and the US were largely on the same page on the “principal level” on Afghanistan however there are aspects where the positions of the two countries are not the same.
Total Views |
Washington, October 01: While talking about the Afghanistan crisis, Foreign minister S. Jaishankar pointed out that India was not taken into confidence on various aspects of the Doha deal struck between the US and the Taliban last year.
He further underlined that though India and the US were largely on the same page on the “principal level” on Afghanistan however there are aspects where the positions of the two countries are not the same. He said that India's experiences in some respects are different from the US. Referring to Pakistan, he highlighted that India has been the victim of cross-border terrorism.
Also Read | Another heinous attack on minorities! Prominent Sikh community member shot dead in Peshawar
Speaking virtually at the annual leadership summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), he said “I think to some degree, we would all be justified in having levels of concern and to some degree, I think the jury is still out. When I say levels of concern, the commitments which were made by the Taliban at Doha, the US knows it best. We were not taken into confidence on various aspects of that.”
Moreover, when he was asked about the position of the US and India towards the Afghan crisis, Jaishankar said, "I think we are on similar pages at a principle level on many of these issues, certainly say terrorism. The use of Afghan soil for terrorism is something both of us feel so strongly and it was something which was discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Joe Biden."
However, he also added that "There will be issues on which we will agree more, there will be issues on which we will agree on less. Our experiences in some respects are different from yours (the US). We have been victims of cross-border terrorism ourselves from that region and that has shaped in many ways our view of some of the neighbours of Afghanistan."
The external affairs minister said it is for the US to decide whether it shares that view, adding that India has concerns over the developments in Afghanistan.
"I think to some degree, we would all be justified in having levels of concern and to some degree, I think the jury is still out. When I say levels of concern, the commitments which were made by the Taliban at Doha, the US knows it best. We were not taken into confidence on various aspects of that," he said.
.
.