Any peace process in Afghanistan should respect political mandate: India

Days after US President Trump called off talks with the Taliban, India reacted to the development asserting that any peace process should respect the political mandate and involve all sections of the Afghan society including the Afghan government.

Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said, "We believe that all sections of the Afghan society including the legitimately elected government should be part of this process. We have supported the election, the process that is about to unfold later this month."

Explaining further, he said, "Our point of view is that any process should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate, should not lead to any ungoverned spaces were terrorist and their proxies can relocate and should have the full concent of Afghan people and the government."

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The foreign ministry spokesman clarified that there is no change in New Delhi's policy regarding the peace process in Afghanistan. India supports Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process and is one of the major development partner of Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

MEA spokesperson expressed confidence that any "peace process which is being taken by the international community including by the US will accommodate our concerns in this regard."

India has shared its concerns, particularly on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan with the US and Islamabad's support to terrorism in Afghanistan. US Special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has been to India thrice this year in the backdrop of US-Taliban talks which have now been closed by Washington.