India set to host BRICS talks with regional security on agenda, as it keeps eyes on Afghanistan and Pakistan
- The meeting, which also includes China and Russia, comes as Taliban hands top positions in its interim government to a faction known for militant attacks
- New Delhi is also watching Pakistan, having long believed Islamabad has offered forces a safe haven from which to plan attacks on Indian soil
New Delhi’s national security adviser Ajit Doval will make a presentation at the meeting, which will be attended by the other leaders of the five-nation group of emerging economies – China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa – that now accounts for about 25 per cent of the world’s total economic output and more than 16 per cent of trade.
India’s worries about the Taliban, which retook power on the back of the United States’ withdrawal of its troops last month, have mounted after the Islamist group on Tuesday said it would establish an interim regime led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, with Abdul Ghani Baradar as the deputy prime minister.
While the Taliban had promised to form an inclusive government, top positions were handed to veteran fighters of the 20-year battle against US forces, and to the Haqqani network, a violent faction of the group that has been based at the border with Pakistan and is known for militant attacks.
No United Nations member state has formally recognised the new Taliban government. China on Wednesday said the naming of Afghanistan’s interim government was a “necessary step” and that it was ready to maintain communications with the Taliban-led leadership, while Beijing also urged the group to listen to different views domestically and internationally.