JAKARTA: Represe­ntatives of Afghanistan’s Taliban government travelled to Indonesia this month on an unofficial visit, the foreign ministry in Jakarta said on Tuesday, despite Kabul saying they held meetings with politicians in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.

“My understanding is that they were in Jakarta informally for internal matters with the Afgha­nistan mission here,” said Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah.

But the deputy spokesperson at the Afghan foreign ministry, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, tweeted on July 14 that one of the government’s top diplomats led a “delegation” to Indonesia.

He stated, “The delegation held useful meetings and discussions with some scholars, politicians and businessmen in Indonesia for strengthening bilateral political and economic relations.”

The official did not disclose which Indonesian politicians the Afghan delegation met.

Faizasyah claimed there were no official meetings between Afghan and Indonesian government officials.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023