New Delhi, Jul 29 (IANS): Replying to questions of the members in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday said that there must be a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan and there cannot be a takeover of the war-torn country by use of force.

Replying to a supplementary question asked by Swapan Dasgupta on China talking to Taliban, Jaishankar said, "There can not be a military solution, there can not be a takeover by use of force in Afghanistan. We will work with international community to ensure that political negotiations for a settlement are pursued seriously and we would never accept an outcome which is decided by force." he said.

He said there is strong convergence between India and the Unites States on this issue.

The Minister said that he had detailed discussion with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on the issue of Afghanistan.

Jaishankar had tweeted on Wednesday, "A wide ranging and productive discussion today with @SecBlinken. Useful in mapping out the next steps in our bilateral partnership. Strong convergence of views on many regional concerns. Agreed to work closely on multilateral and global issues."