The Taliban establishment in Kabul reaches the Indian side to study the ongoing interactions between Afghan students and sources acquainted with developments, stated on Wednesday, in several domains ranging from the restart of commercial flights to scholarships.
These relations came at a time when the Indian Government indicated that the Taliban’s Interim Cabinet, dominated by hardliners and members of the United Nations-designated Haqqani Network, was recognized in no haste. The above persons indicated that no formal reaction has been given to any of the Taliban’s suggestions on the condition of anonymity.
On September 6, the Afghan Civil-Aviation Authority, now controlled by the so-called ‘Islamic emirates’ in the Taliban, sent a formal notification from the airport of Kabul to the Indian Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The letter to Chairman Arun Kumar, the DGCA chief, and signed by Hameedullah Akhunzada, said that US troops “made inoperable” the airport in Kabul was damaged and removed last month. The airport was operating again with assistance from Qatar and on 6 September the letter appended a NOTAM or “alert to airmen.”
“The objective of this letter is to maintain seamless passenger movement between two nations based on the agreed MoU and to start scheduled airlines for our national carriers (Ariana Afghan Airline & Kam Air). The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority, therefore, demands that its commercial flights be facilitated,” the letter read.
Taliban officials, such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi in his current position, have recently visited the Indian side through intermediaries to address concerns such as travel by afghan students who obtained scholarships from the Indian government.
It is said that Muttaqi was keen to let Afghan students holding Indian scholarships go into the nation, especially those awarded in 2021.
The Indians indicated that they were quite quick, in particular at a period when no other country had established official relations with the regime at Kabul, to recognize the Taliban set-up or reply to Taliban signals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the globe that the problem of recognizing the new establishment in Kabul was not rushed since the power change in Afghanistan was “not included” and therefore “don’t negotiate.”
State-run Air India, following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani Government, halted flights to Kabul on 15 August. On 16 August the Afghan airspace was proclaimed “uncontrolled.”
Sunday, the Foreign Minister administered by the Taliban called for the return of global flights, promised full cooperation with airlines, and insisted upon a solution to all problems at the airport of Kabul. The call for the opening of Afghanistan to world acceptance as part of the Taliban’s ambitions.
The [Islamic Emirate] ensures that all airlines have complete cooperation, as problems in Kabul International Airport have been rectified and the airport is fully operational for both domestic and international travel,” said foreign ministry minister, Abdul Qahar Balkhi.
There have been modest humanitarian volumes and passenger flights from Kabul, but typical commercial services must still be resumed. Pakistan International Airlines was the first state-owned airline to fly in and out of Kabul in nearly one month on the 13th of September.
