Afghan recalibration

Afghan recalibration

India has no option but to talk to Taliban.

The evolving situation in Afghanistan raises several concerns for India. Taliban and the US have been talking and President Donald Trump clearly wants to draw down America’s Afghan engagement. Taliban, on the other hand, have refused to talk to the Afghan government, terming the latter as illegitimate. In fact, at the intra-Afghan talks held in the Qatari capital of Doha earlier this month, Taliban ensured that Afghan government delegates attended the meeting in their personal capacity. That the US and other international stakeholders went along with this shows that the Afghan government today finds itself on shaky ground.

This calls for a practical recalibration on India’s part. It is increasingly becoming clear that Taliban will be a part of the future Afghan dispensation in some shape or form after the US pulls out. Moreover, Pakistan has joined the US, Russia and China to work on a peace agreement with Taliban. In such a scenario, India can no longer steadfastly hold on to its official position of dealing only with the Afghan government. It has to open direct channels of communication with Taliban to protect its interests in Afghanistan.

There’s no denying that India has contributed significantly to Afghanistan’s development and reconstruction following the American military intervention in that country. But all of that and the goodwill among Afghan people risk being jeopardised if India is elbowed out of the evolving political situation in Afghanistan. This is precisely what Pakistan wants as it continues to see Afghanistan as strategic depth against India. Thus, India must work with countries like Iran and Russia to protect its Afghan assets. Taliban can’t be treated as untouchable anymore.