In meet with Australia, India flags Taliban implications on Kashmir

“OUR TALKS FOCUSSED ON DEFENCE COOPERATION AND EXPANDING MILITARY ENGAGEMENTS ACROSS SERVICES, ENHANCING DEFENCE INFORMATION SHARING, COOPERATION IN EMERGING DEFENCE TECH AND MUTUAL LOGISTICS SUPPORT”

Rajnath Singh

Defence minister

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday conveyed to his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton that the rise of Taliban raises serious security concerns for India and the region as the terror groups having bases in Afghanistan could get further support to expand their activities, official sources said.

In the in-person talks, Singh also said that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any other country and emphasised that the international community must do everything possible to ensure the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 2593 on Afghanistan, they said.

The India delegation flagged concerns over the possible implication of the Taliban's capture of power for the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir as there are apprehensions about spill-over of terrorist activities from Afghanistan to the union territory, the sources said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Dutton arrived here on Friday on a three-day visit primarily to take part in the inaugural two-plus-two ministerial dialogue between the two countries.

In his talks with Dutton, Singh also talked about India's concerns over violation of human rights and suppression of rights of women, children and minority communities under the Taliban regime, the sources said.

The Afghan crisis was discussed at length and there was a convergence of views between the two sides on it, the sources said, adding Singh spoke strongly about the need to implement the UNSC resolution adopted on August 30 under India's presidency of the global body.