New Delhi: In the latest development on the national security advisor (NSA)-level meeting to be hosted by India, China has reportedly said that it will not be able to attend the dialogue due to scheduling issues.

This comes as India is set to host a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10 for which the NSAs of Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have been formally invited. 

NSA Ajit Doval will chair the ‘Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’ next week.

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As per ANI sources, China said that it is unable to attend the conference due to scheduling issues while adding that it is open for dialogue with India on Afghanistan multilaterally and bilaterally.

Notably, Pakistan was earlier reported to have declined the invitation to the regional countries’ NSA-level meeting being hosted by India. 

“Pakistan’s decision is unfortunate, but not surprising. It reflects its mindset of viewing Afghanistan as its protectorate. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format. Its media comments against India are an unsuccessful attempt to deflect attention from its pernicious role in Afghanistan,” ANI had quoted its sources as saying. 

Meanwhile, the NSAs of seven countries are reported to have confirmed participation in the ‘Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’ set to take place on Wednesday. 

The countries include Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazhakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Participating NSA’s will also jointly call on PM Modi, they said.

On the non-participation of Afghanistan, the ANI sources stated: “None of the eight countries (including India) recognise or legitimise the Taliban government. India also doesn’t recognise it, which is why it has not invited Afghanistan to the dialogue”.

The discussions will cover terrorism in Afghanistan and across bordering areas along with concerns on radicalisation and extremism. 

It was stated that Central Asian countries are also worried about drug production and trafficking along with the threat emanating from military weapons left behind in Afghanistan.

Earlier the agency’s sources had reported that there had been an overwhelming response to India’s invitation. 

“The enthusiastic response is a manifestation of the importance attached to India’s role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan,” ANI reported sources as saying. 

Two earlier meetings in this format were held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019. 

The third meeting in India could not be held earlier due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The high-level participation meeting hosted by India is seen to reflect the widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other. 

“Delhi Security Dialogue on Afghanistan is different from dialogues led by foreign affairs ministries. This dialogue focuses on security. There will be an attempt to find solutions and how to forge a common approach to meet challenges on the threats emanating from Afghanistan,” the sources said.

India is set to play an important role in this process.