Concerns Relating To Terrorism Primary Focus: Government On Afghanistan

"That's not our focus. Our focus is that Afghan soil should not be used for anti-India activities and terrorism of any kind," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly briefing.

India's immediate focus in Afghanistan is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorist activities against it and it was still "very early days" to talk about any possible recognition to the Taliban, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday. "That's not our focus. Our focus is that Afghan soil should not be used for anti-India activities and terrorism of any kind," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly briefing when asked about India's engagement with the Taliban and whether it is not a terrorist organisation. Two days after the Indian envoy to Qatar held talks with a senior Taliban leader in Doha, Mr Bagchi faced a volley of questions on whether India was ready to recognise a Taliban regime in the backdrop of the Doha meeting and India's future plans regarding the engagement with the Taliban. Asserting that it was too early to talk about it, the spokesperson said, "let's treat the Doha meeting for what it is. It was just a meeting. I think these are very early days."