#India #AfghanistanPeaceDeal 1/5 The agreement between the Taliban and the United States is a serious setback to India, and unlikely to lead to sustainable peace in the country. India’s policy towards Afghanistan has had a 3 pronged approach, since the last defeat of d Taliban
#India #AfghanistanPeaceDeal 2/5 First, support and gain from the US security presence, which would marginalise the extremist Taliban, the Haqanni network and other Pakistani strategic assets. Second, adopt a policy of non partisanship and non interference in domestic politics
#India #AfghanPeaceDeal 3/5 Work with the spectrum of mainstream political opinion be it Hamid Karzai, Ashraf Ghani or Abdullah Abdullah to win the goodwill of Afghan people through developmental projects, and especially gain influence the Pashtun- who form the bulk of d Taliban
#India #AfghanistanPeaceDeal 4/5The peace agreement signed off by Khalilzad & Baradar pays little heed 2 India, views Afghanistan in zero-sun terms as far as Delhi & Islamabad. In sum, validation of extremism, legitimises ISI’s instruments & justifies d Taliban’s worst excesses
#India #AfghanistanPeaceDeal 5/5 India needs 2consolidate its traditional support within non-Pashtuns (though N Alliance is long dead)&reach out to d Pashtuns not tied to the ISI. Excesses of ISI & Pak estab after9/11 created disaffection in sections of Taliban dat India can use
