India important to Afghan peace process, says Afghanistan envoy Farid Mamundzay

Afghanistan Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay on Tuesday, March 30 said that India, being a major power in the region, should be a part of the Afghan peace process at various forums. Speaking to ANI, he said, “India is an important partner to Afghanistan... We want India to be a part of all those forums and talks where peace is discussed. The peace of Afghanistan impacts India as well... India has adopted a principled position in the Afghan peace process. We would want India's presence in those forums”. Speaking about foreign governments, especially Pakistan, he said that unless the funding for terrorist entities stops, the conflict in the country would continue.

“Our President had made it clear that unless foreign support stops for terrorist entities, whether in the region or beyond, the conflict would continue. Afghans have suffered the most, it's not a civil war in Afghanistan, it's international terrorism... Wherever it may be coming from, we want all those non-state actors to stop the bloodshed, stop killing Afghans and stop destabilising the region”, said Farid.

S Jaishankar in Dushanbe

In another significant development, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in Dushanbe to attend the ninth Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process conference. Presenting India’s views on the troubled Afghan peace process at a crucial meeting on Afghanistan hosted by Tajikistan, S Jaishankar outlined what Afghanistan needs in order to attain 'durable peace'. It is to be noted that EAM S Jaishankar met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday and had a discussion on the Afghan peace process before uttering out India's views at the 9th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference. S Jaishankar arrived in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin.

S Jaishankar has shared India's perspective in three points. The External Affairs Minister of India also outlined what actually a war-torn nation like Afghanistan needs in order to attain a durable pace. He highlighted that to attain a durable peace in Afghanistan it is necessary for the regions around it to also remain peaceful. In order to maintain the Afghan peace process' success 'it is necessary to ensure that the negotiating parties continue to engage in good faith, with a serious commitment towards reaching a political solution’.

(Image Credits: AP/PTI)