India will never abandon Afghanistan people: Doval at Russia meet

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has said that no country should be allowed to use Afghan territory to export terrorism and asserted that India will never abandon the people of Afghanistan in their time of need. In an address at a multilateral security dialogue on Afghanistan in Moscow, Doval said that an inclusive and representative dispensation in Kabul is in the larger interest of the Afghan society. He also reaffirmed that the well being and humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan is India's foremost priority and it will continue to guide New Delhi's approach towards that country, official sources said. The National Security Advisor (NSA) is on a two-day visit to Moscow from Wednesday.

Besides Russia and India, the fifth meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils/NSAs on Afghanistan was attended by representatives from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the official sources said  In his remarks at the meeting, Doval said that India "is and will" remain an important stakeholder in Afghanistan.  "We always stood by the people of Afghanistan and will always support collective efforts to help the Afghan people build a prosperous and vibrant nation once again," the sources quoted Doval as saying. 

The meeting discussed various issues related to Afghanistan, including the security situation and humanitarian challenges facing the country, they said.  The third round of this conference was held in Delhi under chairmanship of Doval in November 2021.The NSA said terrorism has become a major threat to the region and emphasised that intensified intelligence and security cooperation is needed among member states to deal with terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Daesh, according to the sources.