‘Shows their attitude towards Afghanistan issue’: India slams Pakistan for skipping NSA-level meet

NSA Ajit Doval chaired the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10, which was skipped by both Pakistan and China

India had hosted a regional summit on Afghanistan in New Delhi on November 10, which was chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Pakistan was among the many countries that were invited to the NSA-level meeting on Afghanistan, including Iran, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. However, the neighbouring nation decided to skip the summit hosted by India.

Notably, China was also invited to join the Afghanistan summit, where it was asserted that the land-locked country’s territory must not be used for terror activities. However, Beijing too skipped the NSA-level meet hosted by India.

Slamming Pakistan’s decision to not attend the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs said this act speaks volumes about Islamabad’s attitude towards the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on November 11: “Pakistan was invited, they did not come. It shows their attitude over Afghanistan issue if they did not come to such important meetings.”

Also Read: Explained | Why are India and Pakistan holding separate summits on Afghanistan?

Making a tangent reference to Pakistan, the MEA spokesperson also said at a press briefing that India has been facing difficulties in providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan due to the absence of unrestricted access.

“One of the key elements which we’ve seen in previous meetings was the need for unimpeded, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance providers...There have been difficulties due to lack of unimpeded access,” Bagchi said.

Speaking further on the humanitarian assistance that India has provided to Afghanistan, the External Affairs Ministry said: “Accordingly, we have been participating in meetings over this issue of how to address impending humanitarian concerns. In the NSA meeting, the very serious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan was discussed at length.”

He added: “India's support to the people of Afghanistan is very clear. We have been extending support over many years to all the people of Afghanistan. The situation on the ground has become very difficult over the last few months.”

(With ANI inputs)