Why 'non-official' dialogue with Taliban is acceptable to govt, asks Omar

Omar Abdullah slams Centre for 'non-official' dialogue with Taliban

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday slammed the Centre for talks with the Taliban at a non-official level while not doing the same by engaging with the Kashmiri separatist leadership.

"If 'non-official' participation in a dialogue that includes the Taliban is acceptable to the Modi government why not a 'non-official' dialogue with non-mainstream stakeholders in J&K? Why not a 'non-official' dialogue centred around J&K's eroded autonomy and its restoration?" he asked on Twitter.

India on Thursday confirmed that it will attend, albeit at a non-official level, a multilateral meeting in Moscow on Afghanistan on Friday where the Afghan Taliban will also be present.

This is the first time that India will be sharing talks table with the Afghan Taliban on issues of peace and stability in Afghanistan.