PM Narendra Modi, Mantris brainstorm on Afghanistan

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban took control of the government following the withdrawal of the US troops.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present at the meeting which took place at the Prime Minister's residence.

The meeting came on a day when the Taliban claimed victory over Opposition forces in Panjshir province, completing their takeover of the country. Pictures showed Taliban fighters standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir Provincial Governor's compound after fighting over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), led by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud.

The Centre had last week said that India's immediate focus in Afghanistan is to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorist activities against it. Experts, however, claim that India's concern is no longer about the revival of terror, but is strategic and military.

The potential cooperation between the Taliban, China and Pakistan could be a cause for worry for New Delhi. On Tuesday last, the MEA said Indian envoy to Qatar Deepak Mittal had met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Taliban's Political Office in Doha, at the request of the group. In the meeting, Mittal conveyed to Stanekzai that Afghanistan's soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism. It was the first publicly acknowledged formal diplomatic engagement that came two weeks after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.