India has officially acknowledged a meeting with Sher Abbas Stanikzai, head of the Taliban Political Office in Doha, Qatar. A press note put out by the External Affairs ministry innocuously titled “Meeting in Doha” said India’s ambassador in Doha Deepak Mittal had a meeting with Stanikzai in the embassy with the discussion focused on the “safety, security and early return of Indian nationals in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghans, especially minorities, also came up.” Mittal conveyed India’s concern that Afghan soil not be used for terrorism against India. Stanikzai promised to positively address these issues.
