India has sent a team, led by the external affairs ministry’s point person on Afghanistan, to Kabul for meetings with senior members of the Taliban. It is the first such visit since the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government last August. The team will also oversee humanitarian relief efforts.

India is reported to be in talks with the Taliban after it ended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and evacuated thousands of nationals from the war-torn country. India, like other countries, has not recognised the Taliban setup in Afghanistan but has had back channel contacts with the group.

An inter-ministerial team has arrived in Kabul to discuss India’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The team will also meet representatives of international organisations involved in the distribution of aid. It is expected to visit various places where Indian programmes and projects are being implemented.

People familiar with the matter said the visit is short in duration and didn’t materialise “out of the blue” – an indication that considerable planning had gone into the effort. Former ambassador Vivek Katju, who served as the Indian envoy to Kabul during 2002-05, welcomed the visit by the Indian team.

The meeting took place at the Indian embassy in Doha, Qatar, after years of unofficial talks between the two sides but no official contact was officially acknowledged.

India has responded to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, both due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic collapse that followed the ouster of the elected civilian government. It has dispatched several shipments of humanitarian aid, consisting of 20,000 tonnes of wheat and 13 tonnes of medicines.

India has donated 1.5 million doses of polio vaccines and two tonnes of essential medicines to the government of Afghanistan. The consignments were handed over to the Indira Gandhi children’s hospital in Kabul. India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and food grains to Afghanistan.

India has allocated ₹200 crore as aid for Afghanistan in its budget for 2022-23. India’s developmental and humanitarian assistance has received widespread appreciation in Afghanistan. The Taliban leadership has noted the importance of maintaining ties with New Delhi, and even called for an Indian diplomatic presence in Kabul.