A senior Qatari diplomat believes India is talking to the Taliban since it sees the group as a “key component” in any future government in Kabul. Mutlak bin Majed al Qahtani, special envoy of the Qatari minister for counter terrorism, told a webinar organised by the Arab Center in Washington DC that “I understand there has been a quiet visit by Indian officials to speak with the Taliban. Why? Because not everybody believes the Taliban will dominate and take over …”
He warned that Afghanistan “should not become a place for proxy war among countries”, and it was in India and Pakistan’s interest to have a stable Afghanistan. He acknowledged that India has invested a lot in Afghanistan and “they want Afghanistan to be more peaceful and stable”. He said the talks were at a critical stage and the main purpose should be to encourage the parties to resolve their differences through peaceful means.
