UK Parliament panel wants India part of G7 talks on Afghanistan

The Chair of the UK Parliament’s influential Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), Tom Tugendhat, has made a strong intervention in favour of India being part of the crisis talks around the Afghanistan crisis.

His intervention follows the recent emergency G7 summit called by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in his capacity as the UK’s presidency of the Group of Seven – made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the UK.

"I now look forward to India and other regional partners being included in future discussions. They have a greater stake than some other G7 members," Tugendhat said on Twitter soon after the G7 summit.

Meanwhile, the crisis in Afghanistan continues to escalate with UK government warning of a terror attack faced at Kabul airport which is having an impact on evacuation efforts.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advisory to read:

“The security situation in Afghanistan remains volatile. There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack.

“Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.” According to the UK Ministry of Defence, more than 11,000 people have been evacuated with the help of 1,000 UK troops since August 13 when the Taliban advance was mounted. The UK government said its operation to remove British nationals, as well as Afghans who worked for the UK and other vulnerable individuals, is moving at “significant pace”.

The US has issued similar warnings ahead of the August 31 deadline for the US-led NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. The Pentagon has said 10,000 people are still waiting to be evacuated.