This was conveyed by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Abdullah Abdullah, the visiting chairperson of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) at a meeting in the iconic Hyderabad House in Delhi.
"A good discussion on our bilateral cooperation and regional issues. Welcomed his insights and perspectives on recent developments. As a neighbour, India remains committed to peace, prosperity and stability in Afghanistan,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
Abdullah too took to Twitter to echo similar sentiments: “We exchanged views on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, bilateral relations, & regional support for peace efforts. He assured me of India’s full support for peace in Afghanistan."
Abdullah is currently on a five-day tour of India to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's support for intra-Afghan negotiations, currently underway in Qatar's capital Doha. The Afghan peace envoy had met Modi on Thursday.
A day before, on Wednesday, Abdullah held discussions with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. "India favours a democratic and sovereign Afghanistan where no terrorists can operate," Doval told the visiting leader.
Experts, however, say that early withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan could come as a major blow to India, which has a growing stake in that country. President Trump had said he would bring back home all his troops by this Christmas, earlier than the 2021-end deadline.
"New Delhi has been able to invest in Afghanistan’s future mainly because of the presence of US-led troops and the relative stability it brought. Indian assets there are often targeted by the Haqqani group, a major Taliban faction," said TK Dutta, a foreign affairs expert.
In fact, India has invested over three billion dollars in Afghanistan, mostly in various Infrastructure projects, till date.
"India has to continue its involvement in Afghanistan, there's still a lot that needs to be done in terms of infrastructure. India’s interests in Afghanistan are not only Pakistan-specific but more importantly, tied to its desire to be seen as an extra-regional power," Dutta said.
Also read: India welcomes U.S.-Taliban peace agreement