Even as India’s efforts to evacuate its officials from turmoil-torn Kabul remained ongoing, reports say senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammed Abbas Stanekzai reached out to the country to retain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
Earlier this week, the Taliban leader, who is part of the leadership of the group’s political office in Doha, Qatar, made the request informally, just before India evacuated 200 people in two military flights on Monday and Tuesday, including its ambassador, diplomats, security personnel, and citizens, the Hindustan Times said in a report.
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Sources familiar with the situation told the Hindustan Times that Indian officials in New Delhi and Kabul were taken aback by Stanekzai’s message, given his criticism of India’s role in Afghanistan in the past.
He told the Indian side in his informal message that the group was aware of Indian concerns about the security situation in Kabul following the Taliban takeover on Sunday, but that it should not worry about the safety of its mission and diplomats in the Afghan capital, the report said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said that Stanekzai was referring to reports that fighters from Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were in Kabul and deployed at check posts set up by the Taliban on the route to the airport. He assured that all check points, including those at the airport, were firmly in Taliban’s hands.
A quick assessment by the Indian and Afghan sides concluded that the Taliban’s request could not be taken at face value, and that the evacuation of Indian diplomats and others should proceed as planned, according to the sources.
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