US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad to visit India on Tuesday

New Delhi: Days after the beginning of intra-Afghan talks in Qatar's Doha, US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is scheduled to visit New Delhi on September 15 (Tuesday). During his one day visit, he is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and brief about the ongoing Afghanistan peace process between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban.

The visit shows how India is being kept in the loop regarding the Afghanistan peace process by the US. Zalmay will reach India from Pakistan, where he met Pakistani Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and Pakistani special envoy on Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq.

On September 12, the beginning of talks commenced in Doha. EAM Jaishankar who joined the event virtually extended India's support for a ceasefire and reiterated that Afghan peace process should be "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled". He also stated that the process should "ensure the interest of minorities, women and the vulnerable" and "effectively address violence across the country".

India has emerged as an important development partner of Afghanistan and has been building mega infrastructure projects in the country including the India Afghanistan friendship project and the Afghanistan Parliament.