India on Thursday said that Pakistan’s refusal to attend the maiden NSA-level meet on Afghanistan in New Delhi “shows their attitude” over the Afghan crisis. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Pakistan was invited, they did not come. It shows their attitude over the Afghanistan issue if they did not come to such important meetings.”
Bagchi also said that India is making every effort to see how the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan can be addressed. “India’s support to Afghanistan has been there for many years. The situation on the ground is very difficult. We are holding meetings to look at how the humanitarian situation can be addressed,” he said.
India also pitched for “unimpeded and unhindered access to Afghanistan” as these are the key factors. “There have been difficulties due to lack of unimpeded access,” Bagchi said.
Speaking about the NSA meet held on November 10, the MEA spokesperson said, “The discussion was good and there was consensus on most issues and so we could come out with a Delhi declaration.”
On Pakistan hosting a ‘troika’ meeting on the issue of Afghanistan on Thursday and China attending it, the MEA said, “We don’t want to comment on why they went to another meeting on Afghanistan.” Pakistan is hosting the ‘troika’ meeting, where special representatives from the US, China and Russia will be present.
Pakistan and China were invited for the NSA dialogue in New Delhi, but both chose to remain absent. While Pakistan outrightly rejected New Delhi’s invitation, calling India a “spoiler”, China said it is unable to attend due to “scheduling issues”.
The NSA meet, attended by seven nations, including Russia and Iran, reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan. The NSAs also adopted a Delhi Declaration, which emphasised respecting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and non-interference in its internal affairs.
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