When the national security chiefs of seven key regional countries assemble here on Wednesday for a security conversation on Afghanistan, China and Pakistan will be absent.
India will hold the ‘Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’ on November 10-11. Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor, will convene the conference, which will be held at the level of National Security Advisors (NSAs).
The day-long conference, which is being held for the first time by India, will focus on terrorism and related security issues and uncertainties that have emerged from Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in August.
Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s National Security Advisor, announced his withdrawal from the meeting last Monday, presumably in protest of India’s ostensibly damaging influence in Afghanistan.
“I will not go, a spoiler cannot be a mediator,” Yusuf said at a news conference in Islamabad after meeting with the Uzbek NSA when asked if Pakistan would attend the conference organized by India.
The National Security Council Secretariat, India’s highest security establishment, is hosting the in-person gathering. Invitations were given to Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as other major players like Russia and China.
Because of India, Pakistan has refused to come. China, on the other hand, was cautious in its approach. Beijing stated it would prefer to engage India bilaterally on Afghanistan despite its inability to attend due to “scheduling concerns.” The Indian government isn’t lumping the two refusals together, however, insiders say China’s stance is motivated by its concerns about Pakistan. “China’s engagement was very important to us,” the report states.
