India asks Taliban to cut ties with Al Qaeda

India on Friday urged the UN Security Council to review the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and asserted that for successful peace process it is necessary to ensure that the Taliban “engage in negotiations in good faith, eschew the path of violence, severe ties with the Al Qaeda and other terrorist organisations, and fully commit itself to reaching a political solution”.

Violence and military threat cannot be used to strengthen the negotiating position of any side and a tangible demonstration of this commitment is required, India advised the Taliban amid fears that the group is using violence to capture power and bargain from that position.

New Delhi further called for deciding on actions that would help “bring a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and ensure an immediate cessation of violence” and pointed out that anything short of this will constitute a serious threat to regional peace and security.


Addressing UNSC briefing on Afghanistan that was called by India under the aegis of its rotating Presidency in August, PR to New York T S Tirumurti pointed out that as a neighbour of Afghanistan, the current situation prevailing in the country is of great concern to India as the violence shows no sign of abating.