India is holding consultations with Russian and US officials over the developments in Afghanistan. The Taliban on September 7 unveiled a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, with key roles being shared by high-profile members, including a designated global terrorist.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 7 said that the Security Council of the Russian Federation, General Nikolay Patrushev, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to hold extensive talks with NSA Ajit Doval on the situation in Afghanistan following its takeover by the Taliban.
Read | Afghanistan: Here are the top six Taliban leaders
Patrushev is also expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the MEA said.
This consultation is a follow-up to the telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 24, when the two leaders said the two strategic partners will work together and directed the senior officials of their respective countries to remain in touch on the developments in Afghanistan.
Read | Worried about flyers' safety, India unlikely to resume Afghanistan flights soon
Besides, a US delegation led by Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns is visiting India and has held discussions with Doval over Afghanistan, as per The Hindu's report.
According to the report, Burns discussed the possibility of bringing some Afghan evacuees to India.
Both MEA and the US Embassy refused to confirm Burns's visit, it said.
Read | Mullah Hasan Akhund leader of the interim Afghan government, announces Taliban
Meanwhile, The Taliban's hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund includes Sirajuddin Haqqani -- an especially designated global terrorist of the dreaded Haqqani Network -- as the interior minister.
Mullah Hasan, the chief of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body 'Rehbari Shura', will be the Acting Prime Minister while Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be his deputy in the "new Islamic government, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference in Kabul.
The Taliban have previously said they wanted to form an inclusive government. However, all of the Cabinet ministers announced on Tuesday are already established Taliban leaders.
Read | Who is Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the head of interim Taliban government in Afghanistan?
A statement attributed to Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada told the government to uphold Sharia law.
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