India is actively seeking to enhance its cooperation with Afghanistan, particularly focusing on development initiatives. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed a commitment to engage with the "government of the people of Afghanistan" to address urgent developmental needs. 

This was highlighted during a recent meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai on January 8, 2025.

India has pledged to consider engaging in various development projects in Afghanistan, in addition to its ongoing humanitarian assistance. This includes support for the health sector and the rehabilitation of refugees.

India has a history of providing substantial humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food supplies and medical assistance. The recent discussions reaffirmed India's readiness to continue this support while exploring new avenues for development cooperation.

Both sides agreed to promote the use of Chabahar Port as a strategic route for trade and humanitarian aid, which is vital for Afghanistan's economic stability.

The discussions also touched upon enhancing cooperation in sports, particularly cricket, which is significant for fostering people-to-people connections between the two nations.

Jaiswal further elaborated that India seeks to continue its long-standing relationship with Afghanistan by strengthening humanitarian and developmental support.

"Both these counts we want to continue to build on what we are doing there to strengthen our longstanding relationship with the people of Afghanistan. We also want to do more in sports. You would have seen there are several cricket players from Afghanistan who play here in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Greater Noida also happens to be the home ground. So these - all these are the areas where we want to build our relations so that we can bring more benefit of our approach, of our humanitarian assistance, of our engagement on developmental cooperation front."

India, in its bid to support the Afghan people, has so far dispatched several shipments consisting of 50,000 MTs of wheat, 300 tons of medicines, 27 tons of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of COVID Vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction program, 500 units of winter clothing and 1.2 tons of stationery kits, etc, according to the MEA.

Further being asked about the political developments in Canada in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declaring his intent to resign as the Canadian PM, the MEA spokesperson said India is keeping a "close eye" on the developments.

"A lot of political developments are going on in Canada. We are keeping a close eye on them. India and Canada enjoy a very deep relationship with each other...We hope that the relationship will remain strong and India will be ready to take any step in this direction," Jaiswal further said.

Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would resign as leader of the Liberal Party and as Prime Minister as soon as a new candidate is found for the post. He said that the Canadian Parliament would be prorogued or suspended until March 24.

India's renewed engagement with Afghanistan under the Taliban regime represents a pragmatic approach aimed at ensuring stability in the region while addressing humanitarian needs. Despite not formally recognizing the Taliban government, India continues to prioritize the welfare of the Afghan people, reflecting its historical ties and commitment to development in Afghanistan.

ANI