Afghan foreign minister Muttaqi set to visit India next week
New Delhi (PTI): Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit India next week, in the first high-level trip from Kabul after the Taliban captured power following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government over four years ago.
The Afghan foreign minister is expected to visit India from October 10, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. However, there is no official word on the visit yet.
Muttaqi was scheduled to visit New Delhi last month but it was called off in view of a travel ban that he faced under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions.
On September 30, a UNSC committee approved a temporary exemption to the travel ban, allowing Muttaqi to visit New Delhi from October 9 to 16, according to a UN statement.
Afghan media reported that Muttaqi will travel to Moscow on October 6 to attend the seventh round of Moscow Format talks.
The UNSC had slapped sanctions against all leading Taliban leaders and they have to secure a waiver for foreign travels.
Muttaqi's visit is expected to add a new dimension to India's relations with the Taliban setup in Kabul.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had held a phone conversation with Muttaqi on May 15.
It was the highest level of contact between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban came to power.
India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.
New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.
In January, the Taliban regime described India as an "important" regional and economic power following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Muttaqi.
India has so far sent several shipments of humanitarian aid, including wheat and medicines, to Afghanistan.
India has been pitching to provide unimpeded aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian situation in the country.
In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a "technical team" in its embassy in the Afghan capital.
India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy on concerns over security after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
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The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
