By participating in the inaugural intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha, India has demonstrated its willingness to engage with all Afghan parties, including the Taliban, for peace in Kabul and ensure that no anti-India activity is allowed from Afghan soil.
“There is no ambiguity in India’s position regarding engagement with the Afghan parties, as the Indian delegation sat at the same table as the Afghan government and the Taliban. The host nation, Qatar, could only have made it possible after speaking with all the main stakeholders in the Afghan dialogue, ”said a senior official.
It is understood that Pakistan has conveyed its concern about India’s role in Doha to stakeholders, as Indian participation is now not limited to Kabul only, but New Delhi is a legitimate participant in the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. .
For the past decade, New Delhi has been reluctant to engage with the Taliban, but with the same Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar, addressing the opening session, this ambiguity has been removed and India is ready to talk to both parties. . An ultra-conservative Sunni movement, the Taliban leadership is based in Quetta across the Bolan Pass, and its deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani heads the outlaw Red Haqqani. Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada is a cleric and Haqqani is the sword arm of the insurgent group.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, will meet with Foreign Minister Jaishankar today at around 3.30 pm to brief the Modi government on the way forward towards Afghan peace, elections and the expectations of India. Khalilzad, who is himself a Pashtun, will arrive from Islamabad.
Addressing the opening session, EAM Jaishankar had advocated for a ceasefire between the warring parties in Afghanistan and sought a commitment from both the Afghan government and the representative of the Taliban that Afghan soil would not be used for anti-Indian activities. The second part concerned the presence of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba terrorist training camps in the Khyber and Bolan passes.
While India understands the United States’ desire to exit Afghanistan after 19 long years of counterinsurgency and surveillance, it is concerned about the increase in violence once Americans leave Kabul with only a representative force of 4,700 available after the elections. .
However, the positive signal in Doha was the presence of both the Afghan Government and the Taliban at the same table and the willingness to dialogue with each other. This raises hope that the Taliban can take the election route this time and not opt for the military takeover of Kabul once the United States exits.
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