Taliban reach out to India over resumption of flights, scholarships

The Taliban setup in Kabul has been reaching out to the Indian side to explore the continuation of contacts in different fields, ranging from resumption of commercial flights to scholarships for Afghan students, people familiar with matter said on Wednesday.

These contacts have come at a time when the Indian government has indicated it is in no hurry to recognise the interim cabinet created by the Taliban, which is dominated by hardliners and members of the UN-designated Haqqani Network. The people cited above said on condition of anonymity that there had been no formal response to any of the Taliban proposals.