Indian officials had a ‘quiet’ rendezvous with Taliban, says Qatari special envoy

A senior Qatari official has said there was a quiet visit by Indian officials to Doha to speak with the Taliban.

In a first, a top Qatari official has confirmed that Indian officials made a “quiet visit” to Doha to engage the Taliban’s political leadership. This is the first time that an official involved in talks with the Taliban has divulged information about New Delhi’s secret rendezvous with the Taliban. Speaking at a virtual event, ‘Looking Towards Peace in Afghanistan after the US-NATO Withdrawal’, organised by Arab Center Washington DC, Qatar’s Special Envoy of the State of Qatar for Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani said, “There has been a quiet visit by Indian officials to speak with the Taliban. Why? Because not everybody is believing that the Taliban will dominate and takeover because the Taliban is a key component or is going to be a key component of the future of Afghanistan.”