New Delhi:

India on Friday called the Taliban regime’s move to restore private land rights to Afghanistan’s Hindu and Sikh minorities a “positive development”.

The Taliban government has reportedly taken steps to restore property rights to Hindu and Sikh communities.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We have seen reports on this issue. If the Taliban government decides to restore property rights to citizens belonging to Afghanistan’s Hindu and Sikh communities, we consider it a positive progress.”

His remarks came during a weekly media briefing in response to questions on the matter.

The Taliban regime has reportedly formed a committee to ensure that rights to private lands seized by warlords during the previous government in Kabul are returned to the owners.

The latest move by the Taliban comes weeks after Indian Afghanistan expert Manmohan Singh met with senior Afghan authorities in Kabul.

Singh, Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), held talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Aamir Khan Mutaji last month.

India has not recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been working to form a truly inclusive government in Kabul, insisting that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorist activities against any country.

India has been committed to providing unhindered humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to resolve the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

In June 2022, India deployed a “technical team” at the embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to re-establish its diplomatic presence in Kabul.

After the Taliban took power in August 2021, India has withdrawn its officials from the embassy due to security concerns.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)