Taliban leader trained by Indian Army arrives for talks with India

The Taliban appointed Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who was trained by the Indian Army, to hold talks with India for the first time since the change of government in Afghanistan. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, head of the Taliban’s political affairs office in Doha, visited the Indian embassy in Qatar and held talks with Ambassador Deepak Mittal. This is the first time India has confirmed that it has held official diplomatic talks with the Taliban.

Between 1979 and 1982, he trained for three years at the Army Cadet College, Nowgoni, Madhya Pradesh, and then as an officer at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. Stanikzai, one of the few Taliban leaders with knowledge of English, has visited various countries. Stanikzai was the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister during the previous Taliban regime. He arrived in Washington in 1996 to hold talks with US President Bill Clinton seeking Taliban approval, but the mission failed. Stanikzai also led the delegation to China in 1996.

During talks in Qatar on Tuesday, India expressed concern that Afghanistan could become a hub for anti-India terrorism. Stanikzai assured that there would be a sympathetic approach in this regard.

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