NEW DELHI : Russia, Iran, Central Asia to participate Afghanistan meet chaired by India next week

       Representatives from Iran, Russia and Central Asia will participate in a regional security conference on Afghanistan that India will chair next week, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

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       Pakistan and China who have been invited to the 10 November meet, have not yet responded through official channels. News reports have quoted officials from Islamabad as saying that its National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf would not attend.

       The regional conference is being hosted by Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and is the first to be hosted by India. Two earlier meetings at the level of National Security Advisor have been held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019, one of the two people cited above said. The third meeting in India could not be held earlier due to the covid-19 pandemic.

       The meeting assumes importance given that that the Pakistan backed Taliban has been in power in Kabul for almost three months – taking over on 15 August after President Ashraf Ghani left the country. It also comes at a time when the people of Afghanistan are facing food shortages with the economy having collapsed and winter approaching. News reports have spoken about deaths due to starvation already.

       The New Delhi hosted Afghan conference gives India an opportunity to shape opinion on Afghanistan. Since the Taliban takeover on 15 August, it is Pakistan that seems to have the initiative given that it is widely viewed that it has been Islamabad’s backing and support that has brought the Taliban to power. India has attended some meetings on Afghanistan hosted by Qatar and Russia but it has been kept out of others reportedly due to objections from Pakistan.

       Addressing a G20 conference on Afghanistan last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the international community should ensure that Afghanistan had immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance.

       “There has been an overwhelming response to India’s invitation. Central Asian countries as well as Russia and Iran have confirmed participation (first time that all Central Asian countries, not just Afghanistan’s immediate land neighbours, are participating in this format). The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India’s role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," the second person cited above said.

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       Pakistan’s decision not to participate in the New Delhi hosted event is “unfortunate, but not surprising," the second person cited above said.

       “It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format. Its media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan," the second person said.

       “The high-level participation in next week’s meeting hosted by India reflects the widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other. India has an important role to play in this process," the first person said.

       At the G20’s Afghanistan focused meeting last month, the prime minister had backed the UN’s important role in Afghanistan and sought renewed support from the G20 for UN Security Council resolution 2593. The resolution adopted during India’s rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in August, demands that Afghan soil should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists.

       Modi also called on the international community to “forge a unified international response without which it would be difficult to bring about the desired change in Afghanistan’s situation."

       India has been calling for an “inclusive" administration in Afghanistan that allows representation of women and minorities to preserve the socio-economic gains of the past two decades and restricts the spread of radical ideology.

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