A Taliban fighter walks on a street, in Kabul (AP)

NEW DELHI: With international recognition on mind, and following efforts by the government to strike the right chord with post-US withdrawal Afghanistan – not least with the ongoing supply of 50,000MT of wheat to the country, the Taliban continue to reach out to India for establishing diplomatic ties.
The Taliban’s UN ambassador-designate Suhail Shaheen told TOI on Thursday that the government in Kabul is ready to provide a “secure environment” for the Indian embassy in Kabul and that diplomatic presence is essential for boosting bilateral relations. India had recalled all embassy officials after the return of Taliban to Kabul on August 15 but government authorities remain in touch with Taliban to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
“We want all those countries including India who had their embassies in Kabul to reopen their embassies and start functioning as normal. We are committed to providing them a secure environment for their functioning. Diplomatic presence is important for boosting bilateral relations,” said Shaheen.
India has so far sent 8,000MT of wheat to Afghanistan in four shipments via the Attari-Wagah border with Pakistan. The Taliban had last year taken up with Pakistan the need to approve India’s proposal to transport 50,000 MT of the grain. This is the first time since 2007 that Pakistan has allowed India to use the land route to send aid to Afghanistan.
Significantly, an Indian trader was on Thursday reported to have transported Indian sugar to Uzbekistan via Pakistan and Afghanistan in a “historic trade activity”. According to a PTI report, the Taliban commerce and industry ministry organised a special ceremony to facilitate the transit of Indian goods, and hailed it as a big step towards turning Afghanistan into a key trade link between Central and South Asia.