Indian, Central Asian NSAs discuss plan to stabilise Afghanistan's Taliban regime

New Delhi: National security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval met his counterparts from all five Central Asian nations, soon after Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to India, to firm up a plan to work closely with the Taliban in addressing security challenges as well as connectivity and economic development issues. The initiative could form the basis of long-term stability of Afghanistan, said people familiar with the matter.

Stability of landlocked Afghanistan figured high on the agenda of the meeting of the Indian and Central Asian secretaries of the security council and NSAs held in Bishkek on Thursday, according to an official. The meeting assumes further significance since it took place in the backdrop of the new low in Afghanistan-Pakistan ties, said the official.

During the meeting, the participants from India and Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - reiterated the importance of regular dialogue in view of the changing nature of security challenges. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of countering terrorism, radicalisation, extremism and narcotics trafficking, according to an official. All Central Asian states, besides Russia, are apprehensive of the spillover impact of the presence of Pakistan-backed ISIS in Af-Pak region. There has been a revival of some terrorist groups in Central Asia. The Hizb ut-Tahrir network is closely watched by the governments in the region. Earlier this month, India and Uzbekistan explored the possibility of launching joint counterterrorism operations, according to people in the know.


Central Asian nations have developed working-level partnership with the Taliban regime over the past year. In the meeting on Thursday, the participants emphasised the significance of security and stability in Afghanistan. They agreed to prioritise greater connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries, which are keen to utilise the Chabahar Port as well as the International North-South Transport Corridor via Iran to access the Indian market.

The participants also agreed to expand the scope of cooperation under this format to include areas such as digital connectivity and infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, and space cooperation, said an official.