Abdullah Abdullah on Afghan peace talks, India engaging with Taliban | Worldview

The Afghan leadership won’t have concerns if India decides to engage with the Taliban, though a final decision in this matter will is New Delhi’s prerogative, Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah said on Saturday.

Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, is the senior-most Afghan leader to publicly speak on this issue which has been the subject of a debate within diplomatic and decision-making circles in New Delhi since last year.

Following his meetings this week with India’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Abdullah said in an interview that he hadn’t discussed any “military role” for India in Afghanistan during his talks in New Delhi.