India told Sputnik on Tuesday that there was no meeting between the country's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Taliban political leaders
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2021) India told Sputnik on Tuesday that there was no meeting between the country's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Taliban political leaders.
"We have seen social media reports claiming that EAM [External Affairs Minister] has met certain Taliban leaders. Such reports are completely false, baseless and mischievous," the foreign ministry told Sputnik.
The information about Jaishankar's meetings with Taliban leaders in Doha has been circulating in the media since June 21, after a report by The Hindu cited a senior Qatari official confirming the fact. Reportedly, a top Indian diplomat held talks with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Sheikh Dilawar.
Following the deal with the Taliban, the United States has withdrawn more than half of its troops from Afghanistan and expects largely to complete the process by July, well ahead of the September 11 deadline.
The withdrawal is taking place amid uncertainty and increased violence in Afghanistan. On June 23, reports emerged claiming that the US intelligence community estimates that the government of Afghanistan could collapse six months after the complete withdrawal of American forces. The US intelligence reportedly revised their initial, more optimistic estimates after the Taliban seized dozens of localities in northern Afghanistan.
