The US asked India to get involved in the internal political process in Afghanistan. Sources said this formed the core of the discussions between US special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad and foreign minister S. Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Harsh Shringla in Delhi

Sources said the US described India as a “major actor” with an important role in ensuring Afghanistan’s peace and development.

The US asked India to get involved in the internal political process in Afghanistan, including looking at “proposals for different formulations that would include separate strands in Afghanistan”, even the Taliban.

Sources said this formed the core of the discussions between US special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad and foreign minister S. Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Harsh Shringla in Delhi on Thursday.

The visit had a “level of urgency” — Khalilzad could have come later, but he chose to come all the way for a couple of hours, they said. The urgency comes from a perfect storm including a fraying peace deal, a political impasse within the Afghan government, increasing violence by the Taliban, and all in a time of a pandemic, destabilising Afghanistan further.

Sources said the US described India as a “major actor” with an important role in ensuring Afghanistan’s peace and development. “We need to remain part of the process if we want to contribute effectively to the process,” they said.

This would be the first time India has acknowledged that it should be part of the larger peace process inside Afghanistan. India has been squeamish about being part of a peace process which includes the Taliban as well as Pakistan in key roles, not wanting to give legitimacy to a terror group that continues to play to the Pakistani tune.

In their conversations, sources said the US wanted India to continue playing a “constructive role” in bringing about peace internally. By supporting the elected government in Kabul, India reckons it has built an equity that would have been elusive if India had joined the bandwagon early to reach out to the Taliban. At this point, India has more influence with the Ghani government than almost any other country, comparable with the US.

The attack on Sikh and Hindu minorities in Afghanistan in recent weeks has also sharpened India’s attention, particularly the fact that the attack on the Kabul gurdwara which killed 25 people was carried out by an LeT-Haqqani network combine, working closely with the ISKP — blowing to pieces Pakistan’s contention that the ISKP and Taliban are opposed to each other. The Haqqani network is a key component of the Afghan Taliban, with Sirajuddin Haqqani as the deputy head of Taliban.

Last week Khalilzad and Jaishankar held a phone conversation which Khalilzad described “I reached out to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar yesterday to discuss the latest on the Afghan peace process. We talked about the urgency of resolving the internal political crisis and the importance of Afghan leaders forming an inclusive government.”

Meanwhile, government sources said India was transporting 75,000 tons of wheat via Iran’s Chahbahar port to Afghanistan — “5000 tons were shipped last month and 10000 tons went on Thursday this week,” they said. India is also trying to send tea and sugar to Afghanistan.