A conundrum

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A conundrum

Thursday, 04 November 2021 | Pioneer

A conundrum

India will host an important meeting to discuss concrete steps to extend aid to Afghanistan

After Iran and Russia, it is India’s turn to host a meeting on Afghanistan. The proposed meeting will see the NSAs of Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan discuss humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Pakistan and China too are invited but Islamabad has decided not to attend and Beijing is yet to respond. Two aspects of the meeting are significant. One, the technicalities of reaching aid to Kabul will be discussed. India plans to donate 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, apart from medical supplies. It is a logistical nightmare to airlift such quantities. India approached Pakistan for permission to use the land route via Wagah-Attari. Pakistan is both sitting on the request and not willing to attend the meeting. If it refuses permission, its appeals for aid will sound hollow. If it does not attend, its commitment to finding a solution to the Afghan affair will be questioned. Two, India has in a short while come quite far among all regional stakeholders in taking an initiative on Afghanistan. The previous meetings, hosted by Iran of representatives of neighbours of Afghanistan and another by Russia of the Moscow Format group, did not yield anything concrete other than keeping the Afghanistan dialogue alive. The New Delhi meet may be the first to discuss concrete steps to extend aid, especially with winter approaching. The Indian initiative will be keenly watched by the stakeholders, including the United States and China, because of the context in which it will take place.

Unlike, say, Pakistan, India does not have a long association with the Taliban. It does not have a chequered history with them, like the US, Iran or Russia. India did not recognise the Taliban regime the first time they came to power. It was only a few weeks ago that India formally met the Taliban. Since then, there has been a second meeting, on the sidelines of the Moscow Format meeting in October. For its part, the Taliban has spared no detail in assuring India of its goodwill, whether it is about safe passage for Afghan minorities to India, the return of Indian diplomats or the promise that Afghan soil will not be used to attack India. Yet, India has decided against inviting the Taliban to the New Delhi meeting. It seems to be taking a step-by-step approach where the Taliban are concerned. India has shown an understanding of its position in the Kabul conundrum. For one, it is consistently against a military solution. Second, it is aware that talks about terrorism will go nowhere as the Taliban has shown no inclination to sever links with terror groups in their country. Three, India may see the wisdom in what Russian President Vladimir Putin says, that it is better to go slow on recognising the Taliban Government but it is necessary to keep the talks going. Humanitarian aid is both a humane gesture and a tool to keep the Taliban engaged. Till when? That is the question.

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