New Delhi: A day after the political leadership in Afghanistan endorsed the negotiation team that will represent the Afghan government in intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban, India on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of the group.

India’s validation also came as a three-member Taliban team arrived in Kabul to start talks over the prisoner exchange process that is one of the first steps in the agreement signed with the United States in Qatar on February 29. There had been differences over the process and timing of the exchange but with a Taliban team officially setting foot in Kabul on Tuesday for the first time, the ball is now rolling.

India’s ambassador to Qatar, P. Kumaran, had attended the ceremony for the signing of the US-Taliban agreement, but New Delhi had notably refrained from publicly ‘welcoming’ the deal.

After a month, the Afghan government on March 27 had announced the formation of a 21-member team, which includes five women. This announcement had been delayed as there had been intense bickering within the Afghan political landscape about the composition of the team.

In a statement on Wednesday, India said that it welcomed the formation of the team. “India has consistently supported an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process for enduring peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. In this context, we view the formation of the team as a positive step which would lead to a peaceful and stable future for Afghanistan free from the scourge of externally sponsored terrorism,” said the press note from the Indian external affairs ministry.

“We also call upon all sections of the political spectrum to work together to meet the aspirations of all people of Afghanistan, including those from the minority community, for a prosperous and safe future,” said the press release. There is however, no member from Afghanistan’s small Hindu or Sikh minority in the negotiating team.

Also read: India Loath to Welcome US-Taliban Agreement But Notes All Afghans Have Hailed Deal

Earlier, the Taliban had rejected the team by claiming that it was “not inclusive”, which was dismissed by the Afghan government.

On Tuesday, Abdullah Abdullah, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s main political rival, had also given his support to the negotiating team.

“Although we have reached no satisfactory agreement to resolve the political crisis in the wake of the 'rigged' presidential election, we are committed to making sure that it does not overshadow peace efforts," said Abdullah. He added that there were still “considerations by some sides on the makeup of the negotiating team, which are understandable”.

However, he welcomed that formation of the “inclusive negotiation team” as an “important step toward facilitating intra-Afghan negotiations”. “Our lasting position is that a fair, dignified and sustainable peace is the priority of all AFG (afghan) citizens,” he stated.

Former national security adviser Mohammad Haneef Atmar, who was also an Afghan presidential candidate, also endorsed the government negotiating team in a tweet by describing it as “all inclusive”.

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