Taking Afghanistan by force cannot be legitimised: India

The nation’s future cannot be its past, says Jaishankar; unveils peace road map

Emphasising that the future of Afghanistan cannot be its past, India on Wednesday said the world is against seizure of power by violence and force.

The comments were made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar where he also presented a three-point road map for the conflict-ridden country that entailed cessation of violence and terrorist attacks, settlement of the conflict through political dialogue and steps to ensure that neighbouring countries are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Jaishankar put forth the roadmap at a meeting of the SCO foreign ministers' contact group on Afghanistan in Dushanbe amid growing global concerns over the Taliban fighters gaining control over large parts of the country.

"The challenge is to act seriously and sincerely on these beliefs. Because there are forces at work with a very different agenda. The world is against seizure of power by violence and force. It will not legitimise such actions," Jaishankar said.

"The world, region and the Afghan people all want the same end state: 1. An independent, neutral, unified, peaceful, democratic and prosperous nation," Jaishankar tweeted.

"2. Ceasing violence and terrorist attacks against civilians and state representatives, settle conflict through political dialogue, and respect interests of all ethnic groups, and 3. Ensure that neighbours are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism," he said.

SCO must stop terror financing

The MEA also said combating terrorism and extremism is the key purpose of the SCO. and it must stop terror financing. His comments were made in the meeting that was attended by his counterparts from Pakistan and China.

"Spoke at the FMM of SCO this morning at Dushanbe. Afghanistan, public health and economic recovery are pressing issues. Combating terrorism and extremism is the key purpose of SCO. Must stop terror financing and deter digital facilitation," the exernal affairs minister tweeted. In his remarks, the external affairs minister also highlighted the "One Earth One Health" message and urged early universal vaccination to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.