The talks were held at the Indian embassy in Doha at the request of the Taliban side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

‘Discussions focused on safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit to India also came up,’ a statement issued by the MEA said, adding that Mr. Mittal said India’s concern was that ‘Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.’

According to the MEA statement, the Taliban leader assured the Indian Ambassador that all the issues would be ‘positively addressed’

India invested more than $3 billion in development works in Afghanistan and established close relations with previous government in Kabul, backed by the United States.

pgh/Pll/oda / abm