Top Afghan leader Dr Abdullah Abdullah on India visit

Top Afghan leader Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is on a visit to India which is his first visit since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August last year.

Dr Abdullah has been the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation and led the intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban. He had earlier served as the Chief Executive of Afghanistan from September 2014 to March 2020.

On April 30, he had tweeted on leaving the country for a few days. He said, " As I leave the country for a few days to be with family during Eid-ul Fitr, I want to offer prayers for the souls of all martyrs who fell victim to terror, while I wish my compatriots Eid Mubarak as we end this holy season", adding, "Our country, men & women, need to come together to participate in national mechanisms to decide about the future based on fundamental rights and essential Islamic and national values we hold dear as our nation goes through challenging times. I look forward to a participatory process that will offer solutions soon."

While it is not a publicised visit, the Afghan leader has been visiting India regularly both in private and public capacity.

Dr Abdullah was on an official visit last in Delhi in 2020 during which he had called on PM Modi. The visit comes even as India has started to supply humanitarian aid to the country despite no recognition to the Taliban regime in Kabul.

The Indian government has decided to gift 50,000 MTs of wheat to the people of Afghanistan with over 10,000 MT being already delivered.