US envoy meets Indian officials, discusses shared interests in Afghanistan

New Delhi: The US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent capture of Kabul by the Taliban has given rise to a drastically changed geopolitical situation in South Asia.

Despite their differences over the role of Pakistan in the region, India and the United States (US) share several common interests in Afghanistan.

US Special Representative to Afghanistan Thomas West met top Indian representatives on Monday and discussed shared
interests in the war-ravaged country.

West met Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary (PAI) JP Singh. During the meeting, the US Special envoy deeply appreciated India’s generous humanitarian support to Afghans.

“Great to see Vikram Misri, @MEAIndia JP Singh and other Indian colleagues in Delhi to discuss shared interests in Afghanistan. As fellow friend of Afghan people, US deeply appreciates India’s generous humanitarian support and commitment to Afghans’ fundamental rights,” US special envoy Thomas West tweeted.

His visit to India is part of a three-nation trip including Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Special Representative West is engaging with the Afghan diaspora, including human rights, business, political, and media leaders on how to address these challenges.

This visit comes as the UN mission in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban to take immediate steps to end violence against women and the broader deterioration of women’s rights as a vital part of efforts to establish a meaningful and sustainable peace.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights–particularly those of women and girls. They dismissed all women from leadership posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from attending secondary school.

The Taliban have carried out broad censorship, limiting critical reporting, and have detained and beaten journalists, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The Afghan economy collapsed after August 2021, as millions of people lost salaries when the US, World Bank, and other donors stripped the Central Bank of Afghanistan of its foreign assets and access to financial assistance.

Over 90 per cent of the Afghan population faces serious food insecurity, along with a lack of medicine and a rise in malnutrition-related disease.

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