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INTERNATIONAL

widespread dismay. Some political and High Commissioner to Pakistan re- etly suffering the Pakistani mischief of
observers suspect that a section of spectively. Similarly, Kabul deployed its deploying the Pashtun irregulars as the
Taliban having pro-Russian sympa- high-profile non-officials in the nego- Jihadis for attacking Kashmir in 1947-
thies is keen to assert their pre-emi- tiations. It was represented by the High 48. It was done on the orders of the UP-
nence by indulging in this unwanted Power Peace Council, a government- born Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Pakistani
violence amidst these peace efforts. A appointed body responsible for rec- prime minister.
report of the Special Inspector Gen- onciliation efforts with the Taliban, at- In 1973, another prime minister,
eral for Afghanistan Reconstruction tended the event, where they repeated Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had constituted a
(SIGAR) released during May this year Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s offer separate task force in the foreign office
states that the Taliban control 56.3 per of peace talks without preconditions. and also authorized military’s Frontier
cent of the country. The ongoing vio- The Taliban’s political office delegation Corps under Brigadier (later major gen-
lence during the first nine months of led by Sher Abbas Stanekzai attended eral) Nasirullah Babur to recruit Afghan
2018, according to the United Nations such international meeting for the first Islamists like Burhanuddin Rabbani,
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan time. On the US side an official from its Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and Jalaluddin
(UNAMA), has already caused deaths embassy in Moscow asserted that “no Haqqani to counter the secular Pashtun
to as many as eight thousand or more government, including Russia, can be a and Baloch politicians and separatists.
civilians, of them more than half were substitute for the Afghan government in It is also stated that Haqqanis were the
victims of suicide attacks. darlings of the US and insinuated that
The earlier efforts for initiating Pakistan did it at the American behest.
peace talks with the Taliban could be The violence during But the fact is that Pakistan sired those
traced to 2007 when the USA allowed jihadists to counter the secular Pashtun
the Taliban to set up a diplomatic mis- the first nine months leftists and nationalists and did so when
sion at Doha. They were allowed to set of 2018, according to neither Soviet troops nor the ISAF forc-
up an office, but they also put up their es were in Afghanistan, which is pro-
flag on the mission building, which UNAMA, has already duced as an excuse for jihad today.
was not acceptable to the Afghan gov- caused deaths of While the West and Gulf Arabs had
ernment. In spite of many ups and helped Pakistan’s jihadist project grow
downs, the Taliban continued to have as many as 8,000 against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan,
he ongoing talks for peace more than 15,000 Russians had died going change. The Afghan Taliban want an unofficial liaison with the Ameri- or more civilians, Pakistan never rolled it back even when
in the strife-torn Afghani- and a large number of the soldiers were the troops of the USA and its allies must cans. The formal talks at official levels this help and largesse stopped.
stan have begun on a serious maimed. It forced the Russians to sign vacate Afghanistan before the new started only this year. Earlier, this year, of these more than In this backdrop of events, India’s
note, but the participants are an accord with the USA and Pakistan structure of government in Kabul could the first round of the talks took place cautious approach in the Afghan nego-
T reluctant to share the details to retreat its forces. The history appears be finalised with the present regime. at Doha, when the US diplomats and half were victims of tiations must be understood. India, like
of these crucial negotiations. Amidst to have taken a u-turn with the Afghan Amidst the reports of the rea - the Taliban initiated direct talks. The suicide attacks most of Afghanistan’s neighbors and
these peace efforts, the Afghan Taliban, Taliban, who were once considered lignment of forces in the strife-torn Moscow conference under the Rus- regional powers, has learned the hard
who had successfully ousted the Rus- an arch enemy of Russians, now have Afghanistan, it appears that there is a sian umbrella could be called a follow- way how to reach out to various warring
sian forces, then under the Union of agreed to be on negotiating table that unanimity that peace must be ensured up of the earlier efforts for peace. The direct negotiations with the Taliban. On parties in the country. The Taliban took
Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) fol- too in Moscow. The world is also wit- in this country. The sudden eruption Afghan-born US envoy, Zalmay Khal- behalf of the Taliban, it was stated that over in 1996. India did not have enough
lowing a 10-year fierce war ending nessing their prolonged intimate ties of violence amidst the ongoing parlia- ilzad, was not present in the Moscow “they will be ready to speak with the access to the new regime to intervene
in February 1989. In this Afghan war, with the USA and Pakistan too is under- mentary polls in the country has caused negotiations, but his absence could not Afghan government only after fixing a when the Indian Airlines Flight 814 was
be called that the US is not endorsing timetable for the withdrawal of all for- hijacked and grounded in Kandahar in
the peace talks.
eign troops from Afghanistan with the
December 1999. However, during the
Afghan peace initiative the Moscow conference began which US.” They further stated, “As confidence- past two decades, the Indian govern-
While the Doha talks were bilateral,
building measures under a preliminary
ment has reasserted her historical and
plan, the Taliban demand that all politi-
began on Friday, November 10, 2018,
traditional ties with Afghanistan. The
amidst big power rivalries ensured a larger participation with cal prisoners are freed and anti-Taliban violence in Afghanistan has caused
much worry to India, but her interest
sanctions, which were imposed back in
the presence of 12 countries including
representatives from Russia, Afghani-
1997, be lifted.”
in the country’s peace was reasserted
It is true that the Indian representa-
stan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
mer diplomats. The challenge to usher
China, Pakistan, the US, Tajikistan, and tives, Sinha and Raghvan, did not make by the presence of two seasoned for-
Uzbekistan. India did not send any offi- any observation, but the message was in peace is much bigger than triggering
Some political observers suspect that a section of Taliban having pro-Russian sympathies is cial delegation, but it was represented clear that India is ready to help in any off violence in Afghanistan. Indians
keen to assert their pre-eminence by indulging in unwanted violence amidst the peace by its weather-beaten former diplo- peace process provided it is acceptable know it.
mats, Amar Sinha, and TCA. Raghvan,
to all the concerned parties. During the
efforts in Afghanistan, GOPAL MISRA writes former Ambassador to Afghanistan past seven decades, India has been qui- LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018 54 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018 55 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
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