Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formed a high-level group on Afghanistan in view of the evolving situation in the country. The Prime Minister has asked the group comprising of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and senior officials to focus on the immediate priorities of India, sources told CNBC-TV18.

Sources said that the group has been meeting regularly over the last few days. It is seized of issues pertaining to the safe return of stranded Indians, the travel of Afghan nationals (especially minorities) to India, and assuring that the territory of Afghanistan is not used in any manner for terrorism directed against India, the sources added.

​The group has also been monitoring the ground situation in Afghanistan and international reactions, including the Resolution passed in the morning by the UN Security Council, the sources said.

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The UNSC, under India's Presidency, adopted a strong resolution demanding that territory of Afghanistan not be used to threaten any country or shelter terrorists and that it expects the Taliban will adhere to commitments made by it on regarding the safe and orderly departure of Afghans and all foreign nationals from the country. The Security Council adopted the resolution sponsored by France, the UK and the US with 13 members voting in favour, none against and permanent, veto-wielding members Russia and China abstaining.

This was the first resolution adopted by the powerful 15-nation Council on the situation in Afghanistan following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban and came on the penultimate day of India's Presidency of the Security Council for the month of August.

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Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Afghanistan, the resolution "condemns in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks" of August 26 near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for which the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, an entity affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh) claimed responsibility and which resulted in deaths and injuries of over 300 civilians and 28 military personnel.

The UNSC resolution took note of the Taliban's condemnation of the attack. The resolution demands that Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist acts, and reiterates the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including those individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), and notes the Taliban's relevant commitments.

With inputs from PTI

First Published:Aug 31, 2021 1:26 PM IST