After Pakistan, China also skips meet on Afghanistan hosted by India | India News

Taliban fighters on a road in Kabul (AFP)

NEW DELHI: China and Pakistan will probably be lacking when the nationwide safety chiefs of seven key regional international locations collect right here on Wednesday for a safety dialogue on Afghanistan.
The day-long occasion, the primary being hosted by India, will concentrate on terrorism and associated safety challenges and uncertainties rising from Afghanistan which was taken over by the Taliban in August.
Pakistan refused to come back due to India. China, nonetheless, certified its response. Citing its incapacity to attend as a consequence of “scheduling points”, Beijing stated that they want to interact India bilaterally on Afghanistan. The Indian authorities is refraining from clubbing the 2 refusals, although sources stated China’s response could also be as a consequence of its Pakistan sensitivities. “We have been eager on China’s participation,” sources stated.
The assembly will concentrate on terrorism, inside Afghanistan and throughout borders: the expansion of radicalisation and extremism that may unfold from Afghanistan, both by the Taliban and Haqqani community, or IS-Ok, or simply by the facility of demonstration to affect populations in all of the taking part international locations.
Cross-border motion is one other space of concern. A brand new problem that faces the area is the menace emanating from the navy gear and weapons left behind by the US troops in Afghanistan. There may be apprehension that these may very well be used to gasoline terrorism or feed organised crime networks within the area.
The dialogue, sources stated, was not new. The primary of those was held in Iran in 2018 with 5 international locations — India, Russia, Afghanistan, China and Iran. Pakistan was invited, however refused to affix. Iran held the second in 2019. No invitation has been despatched to Afghanistan — to not the Taliban and even the earlier authorities. “Not one of the taking part international locations raised the problem of invitation to the Taliban,” sources stated.
Indian planners reckon that the largest “deliverable” from the assembly can be a typical understanding of the threats confronted by the uncertainty in Afghanistan. “We imagine there’s a excessive diploma of convergence of their sense of menace and ours,” sources stated. The dialogue is unlikely to result in a brand new safety structure however the Indian facet hopes it will possibly evolve into one.