By Levina
In a tragic incident on Tuesday, a local employee of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, became the target of an armed attack. According to Afghan media reports, the attack occurred in a bustling market area, leaving the employee injured. The employee’s bodyguard, was fatally shot during the altercation.
The employee was a local Afghan national, he has sustained injuries in Jalalabad. He had worked with the Indian consulate in Jalalabad before India closed down its no mission in Jalalabad in 2020.
Interesting part is that Pakistani Envoy met taliban officials today. This incident comes a week after Khalil Haqqani was assassinated. The attack on Haqqani was claimed by ISI.
Pakistan’s Special Envoy Meets Taliban Leadership
In a parallel development, Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s newly appointed special envoy for Afghanistan, visited Kabul to meet with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister. The meeting aimed to strengthen bilateral ties and address issues in the relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration, as stated by Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Ministry of Interior.
Read more about Khalil Haqqani here
During the visit, the Pakistani delegation extended condolences on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to the family of Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s refugee minister, who recently passed away. The delegation expressed deep sympathy with his family and the Afghan people, highlighting the shared cultural and political ties between the two nations.
In a statement, Sadiq emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to resolving challenges through cooperative efforts. “We are dedicated to resolving challenges between Afghanistan and Pakistan through joint efforts to strengthen economic and social relations between the two countries,” he said.
The armed attack on the Indian consulate employee and the diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and the Taliban both reflect the complex security and political landscape in Afghanistan. Whilst attacks on diplomatic missions bring to fore the precarious security environment, initiatives like Sadiq’s visit signal ongoing attempts to sabotage regional relationships.