After more than nine months since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, an initial assessment by the first Indian team to visit Kabul has revealed that the health and education infrastructure is deteriorating, but the security situation has shown some improvement, according to The Indian Express.
The assessment was shared with top Indian leadership after the team’s official visit to Kabul, the first since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The team, led by a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi and Taliban’s deputy foreign minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai on June 2 and 3.
J P Singh, Joint Secretary in-charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) in the MEA, led the Indian team. The team stayed in Kabul for two days, including a night stay in a secure accommodation provided by the Taliban. They also visited the Indian embassy premises and found them to be “safe and secure.”
The presence of a young woman diplomat, Deepti Jharwal, was seen as a signal from New Delhi that it stands for the rights of women in Afghanistan. Her presence was not objected to by the Taliban and did not hinder the meetings.
During the visit, the Indian team discovered that the country’s health and education facilities were in dire need of assistance. They visited the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) and found it lacking essential medicines and key medical equipment, with most doctors having left the country.
The team also visited Habibia High School and found that it needed maintenance and help with upkeep. Additionally, they visited the Chimtala electricity sub-station and found it to be working well, supplying electricity to Kabul and surrounding provinces.
In conversations with key Taliban leaders, the Indian team got the sense that the Taliban is “ready to engage” and is seeking assistance to improve the country’s infrastructure. They also observed a general improvement in the security situation in Kabul.
Upon their return, the Indian team briefed top strategic and political leadership, providing New Delhi with a first-hand sense of the on-ground situation in Afghanistan for the first time since August last year.
