India key stakeholder in Afghanistan: NSA Doval

India has underlined the imperative of improving Afghanistan’s capacity to counter terrorism in the region.

India’s national security adviser (NSA) issued the call while addressing the fourth Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in Dushanbe on Friday.

India Today quoted Ajit Doval as calling his country an important stakeholder in Afghanistan. He also touted India’s special relationship with the Afghans over the centuries.

The cordial bilateral relationship would continue guiding New Delhi’s approach to issues related to Afghanistan, the NSA added.

Since August 2021, he said, India had delivered to Afghanistan 17,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 500000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, life-saving medicines, winter clothing and polio vaccine.

Doval urged the representation of all sections of Afghan society, including women and minorities, in the new government.

He proposed the continued provision of education for Afghan girls and employment to women and youth to bolster the country’s growth.

The security advisor asked regional countries to help boost Afghanistan’s capability to combat terrorism and terrorist groups that threated regional peace.

National security advisers and secretaries of security councils of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan attended the two=day meeting