Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with Afghanistan Foreign Minister Atmar and discussed recent developments in the strife-ridden country

As the US administration-led by President Joe Biden has announced withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by September 11, and the Taliban have not abandoned their violence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India will always stand with the people of Afghanistan.

“Good conversation with FM Mohammad Haneef Atmar of Afghanistan on recent developments. Discussed the role of neighbours in the Afghanistan peace process. As always, India will stand with the people of Afghanistan,” EAM S Jaishankar tweeted following his telephonic talks with his Afghanistan counterpart on Saturday.

Earlier participating in a panel discussion at the Raisina Dialogue on Friday, EAM Jaishankar said “In the collective interest of Afghanistan peace is must. I think development is in collective interest, deciding the will of the people through democratic means is in collective interest.”

He said in the last 20 years, “We have demonstrated through our actions and projects on the ground, what our real feelings are for Afghanistan. So we believe today that there is goodwill for us, that there is a strong Indo Afghan friendship. And believe me, we really, really wish the people of Afghanistan well and we will do whatever is in our power, in our influence, in relationship with other neighbours to ensure what is the best interests of the Afghan people is ensured.”

“The real issues today is there is a different Afghanistan, what would be a fair outcome, the most broad based outcome, which will create durable peace. To create durable peace, it has to have a bind of everybody. It cannot be the wishes of the most forceful set of people in that society. That's not how durable understandings are reached and maintained and it has to have the support of all the neighbours,” he said.

He reiterated that Afghanistan needed a double peace, it needed a peace within, and it needed a peace around.

“Without and unless you have both, the neighbours also need to lay off Afghanistan and let the Afghan people do what is in their best interest,” the EAM said.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced that American troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11 that would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the US in 2001.

The US has lost more than 2,000 personnel since 2001 in the war that was triggered by the terror attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. There have been renewed global efforts to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan.