Taliban dropped India from its thank you list. Delhi should face new Afghanistan realities

[s@@d]

APS is a CrimeAgainstHumanity!

It is Trauma for us all...for the entire PakNation..but our trauma can be nothing compared to those who lost OurChilderen!

Unless this crime is punished we can never heal... we owe so much to the good Indians... from APS to MassGraves of PakKashmiris...


But first we convert Kabulistan into Afghanistan!!!

cant agree more.
i still cant listen those ..."APS songs"
my eyes get wet whenever i listen those ...

 

[PAKISTANFOREVER]

Unlike Pakistan which has always sought destruction and chaos in Afghanistan, India's been the one to make an attempt to build bridges, literally and metaphorically. Good deeds never goes to waste..

So what about the good deeds you are giving indian Muslims?..................worry about them not those that you have 0 in common with and don't even share a border with...........whatever our issues are with Afghanistan, remember one thing: The Taliban and at least 70% of Afghans are racially, genetically, culturally and historically identical to Pakistanis. Not indians. For that reason, in the future there will be an inevitable coming together of Afghan and Pakistani people. Just as there is between the German and Austrian people.....

 

[YeBeWarned]

India put their investments on Norther Alliance , TTP, JuA and ISIS .. Of course Afghan Taliban will not thank them cause India is the last country who wants peace in Afghanistan .

 

[jaibi]

Sorry, brother but that's not entirely true. Pak-Afg relations have had a problem since the start but Pakistan has helped Afghanistan in their time of need and continues to do so. Majority of their trade still goes through Pakistan. So I'd disagree with you and I'll agree with you over the fact that good deeds always pay off. We remember that. They do. So should you.

Unlike Pakistan which has always sought destruction and chaos in Afghanistan, India's been the one to make an attempt to build bridges, literally and metaphorically. Good deeds never goes to waste..

 

[Pakistan Ka Beta]

The ‘defeat’ of the US in Afghanistan, on the other hand, is the finest hour of Pakistan’s statecraft. Never in history a nation has plotted and actively abetted the ‘defeat’ of a super power and yet continued to enjoy its goodwill.

Our few Idiots or Ignorant Pakistanis make fun of Pakistan State Policy while our enemy appreciate it . Enough said .

 

[Lubna Mehmud]

Pakistan must take over the Afghanistan's market immediately, not militarily.

secure western border through cooperation and diplomacy.

Must extend hand to improve education, culture and women empowerment.

Must improve bordering region through road network, industrialization.

Take the challenge to overtake china in Afghanistan to supply all type of goods through a friendly competition.

Promote a Pakistani brand like super stores

 

[Hamza913]

Unlike Pakistan which has always sought destruction and chaos in Afghanistan, India's been the one to make an attempt to build bridges, literally and metaphorically. Good deeds never goes to waste..

Bro, karma isn't real.

 

[Jungibaaz]

Unlike Pakistan which has always sought destruction and chaos in Afghanistan, India's been the one to make an attempt to build bridges, literally and metaphorically. Good deeds never goes to waste..

We've made our fair share of mistakes. But this is a misreading of history. What we're seeing now is the long anticipated endgame in Afghanistan. Many times in discussions with Indians in this forum, I've explained that this would be the only eventual outcome and now we're seeing it.

No doubt this is a diplomatic victory for us, but it doesn't mean India can't have any role in Afghanistan in the future. It can, but it will be a lot more balanced now.

 

[SIPRA]

Bro, karma isn't real.

Indians generally confuse "Karma" with "Kamasutra".

 

[Dark1]

We've made our fair share of mistakes. But this is a misreading of history. What we're seeing now is the long anticipated endgame in Afghanistan. Many times in discussions with Indians in this forum, I've explained that this would be the only eventual outcome and now we're seeing it.

No doubt this is a diplomatic victory for us, but it doesn't mean India can't have any role in Afghanistan in the future. It can, but it will be a lot more balanced now.

Premature celebrations. USA has released a statement today that they don't trust the Taliban to keep to the agreement.

 

[RescueRanger]

Whilst I am no fan of Taliban, I have been writing since I joined that the Indian gambit in Afghanistan will amount to nothing, the Indian's failed to understand that we have a much better understanding of the psyche of the Afghan people. They bite the hand that feeds!

Welcome to realpolitik.

 

[Dil Pakistan]

Afghanistan has been the graveyard of empires for centuries and of two super powers in the last 40 years — the USSR, from 24 December 1979 to 15 February 1989; and the US, from 7 October 2001 to 29 February 2020.

India, despite being the second-biggest donor of foreign aid to Afghanistan and receiving adequate notice, merely watched the negotiations and signing of the US-Taliban peace deal from the sidelines and made no change in its approach towards the Taliban. No wonder, India was excluded from Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar’s “thank you” list, which included Pakistan (special mention), China, Iran and Russia.

The ‘defeat’ of the US in Afghanistan, on the other hand, is the finest hour of Pakistan’s statecraft. Never in history a nation has plotted and actively abetted the ‘defeat’ of a super power and yet continued to enjoy its goodwill.

India with its economic clout and soft power can still be a major player in Afghanistan. But for that to happen, India will have to come to terms with the new reality and engage with the Taliban. Realpolitik is not about absolutism, but involves adaptation to promote national interests.

Afghan-born US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Baradar signed The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan on 29 February, 2020, at Sheraton Hotel in Doha. The negotiations followed a chequered course which was less to do with “hard bargaining” by the US and more due to the Taliban displaying its clout with terrorist attacks against US troops, Afghan Armed Forces and civilians.

Shorn of diplomatic finesse, the “peace agreement” is nothing more than a face-saving exit for the US from its longest war. Afghanistan has been left to its fate like Vietnam was 47 years ago.

Also read: Afghanistan is not Vietnam. US should know that walking away won’t be that easy

The agreement
The four-page agreement has been signed between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is not recognised as a state by the US, and the United States of America. The Afghan government is not a party to the agreement. In fact, it is not even recognised by the Taliban. The future of Afghanistan will be decided by the intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and “Afghan sides” beginning 10 March 2020. A separate Joint Declaration between the Afghan government and the US was issued in Kabul. This declaration contains the gist of the US-Taliban agreement and makes a commitment for a political settlement through intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and an inclusive negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (the government), and a permanent comprehensive ceasefire.

The Doha agreement broadly involves the withdrawal of US forces in a phased manner, removal of international sanctions on the Taliban, release of prisoners from both sides and Taliban’s commitment to reduce violence.

As part of the agreement, Taliban will not allow groups like Al-Qaeda to use Afghanistan to threaten the security of the US and its allies. But the agreement is silent on anti-India terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Also read: US-Afghan peace deal relies on old flaws, dated assumptions. Taliban of 2020 has changed

Future of Afghanistan
The fact that within 48 hours of the peace agreement and the joint declaration, President Ashraf Ghani said that the release of prisoners was not a promise the US could make and the Taliban resumed its operations against Afghan forces after just seven days of the pre-agreement “reduction in violence” promise, gives an indication of the complexities that will determine this future. On 4 March, the US carried out an

Post US exit, the Pashtun-dominated Taliban backed by Pakistan will be the most potent force and its return to power is ordained. The future of Afghanistan will be decided by the avatar in which it emerges to rule Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the deal, two extreme possibilities can emerge in Afghanistan. The worst-case scenario is the Taliban going back to its pre-9/11 ways. The best-case scenario is a Taliban-led multi-ethnic coalition government on the Iranian political model with its moderation managed by leverage of international aid without which Afghanistan cannot survive and Pakistan’s influence. This will also be contingent on the leverage the international community can exercise over Pakistan.

Also read: India took the high moral ground by not talking to Taliban and lost influence in Afghanistan

The way forward for India
Realpolitik demand that India should prepare for both the best and the worst-case scenarios. Plan A should be based on the best-case scenario. Post 9/11, India has exercised considerable strategic influence and enjoys phenomenal goodwill among the people of Afghanistan. New Delhi has pumped in about $3 billion in developmental projects. A large number of Afghan military officers have also been trained in India.

New Delhi must shed its inhibitions to support the agreement, engage with the Taliban, and become part of the peace process to get the best for the people of Afghanistan.

As its principal sponsor, Pakistan has considerable influence over the Taliban. But India has what Pakistan does not have — the economic clout to assist Afghanistan. Economic aid never fails to produce influence. Our aid must not only continue but increase with firm commitments over the next 10 years. For India, $1 billion a year is a small price to pay for establishing its influence in Afghanistan.

We must also actively participate in India-China-Afghanistan trilateral economic projects as agreed upon at Wuhan in 2018. For this, we must prevail upon China to influence Pakistan to open trade and transit routes to Afghanistan. To this end, we must recommence our engagement with Pakistan with focus on economic cooperation and transit routes. This will also allay Pakistan’s fears of our influence in Afghanistan.

I foresee the deployment of a peacekeeping force under the UN or the Shanghai Cooperation Council. We must not miss the opportunity to be an active participant in Afghanistan.

Also read: India has invested too much in Afghanistan to let Taliban hold sway again with US blessings

To prepare for the worst-case scenario, we must engage with the non-Taliban ethnic coalition as and when it is formed and assist it economically and militarily through Tajikistan.

Lt Gen H S Panag PVSM, AVSM (R) served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. Post retirement, he was Member of Armed Forces Tribunal. Views are personal.

ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram.

But! ... But! ... But! ... no one can beat the Supa-Pawa India.

As soon as US will exit, the Supa Pawa will send its Hanumaan Army in Afghanistan .... only then we will see how Taliban are beaten

 

[N.Siddiqui]

India with its economic clout and soft power can still be a major player in Afghanistan. But for that to happen, India will have to come to terms with the new reality and engage with the Taliban. Realpolitik is not about absolutism, but involves adaptation to promote national interests.

Afghan-born US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Baradar signed The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan on 29 February, 2020, at Sheraton Hotel in Doha. The negotiations followed a chequered course which was less to do with “hard bargaining” by the US and more due to the Taliban displaying its clout with terrorist attacks against US troops, Afghan Armed Forces and civilians.

Shorn of diplomatic finesse, the “peace agreement” is nothing more than a face-saving exit for the US from its longest war. Afghanistan has been left to its fate like Vietnam was 47 years ago.

India pandered to and supported an Afghanistan which is barely 2% or less of the people, the elites and westernized section of the people, like during king Zahir Shah era Afghanistan was perceived as very modern and that is a fraction of the population.

This is what happens as radicalization and extremism rises on the other side of the fence with marginalized people in large proportion and a tiny elite is getting all the benefits.

Here Pakistan is at the right side of history so is Taliban, the Mujahideens during soviet invasion and ironically supported by the US.

Taliban have defeated the mightiest forces on earth with the iron will, the belief on Allah that they are the righteous, and that invaders have low moral grounds. And they will rule with this strong belief and perseverance, this is not the end of the war theater though, they have a much bigger role to play as per Hadiths...

 

[PAKISTANFOREVER]

Whilst I am no fan of Taliban, I have been writing since I joined that the Indian gambit in Afghanistan will amount to nothing, the Indian's failed to understand that we have a much better understanding of the psyche of the Afghan people. They bite the hand that feeds!

Welcome to realpolitik.

That's because at least 80% of Afghans are racially, genetically, culturally and historically identical to Pakistanis. We also share a border with Afghanistan. Pakistanis and nearly all Afghans are essentially the SAME people. Because of this, there will eventually be a coming together of Afghan and Pakistani people. No one can stop this. india does NOT have a border with Afghanistan and indians have NOTHING in common with afghans either. As a result, india can NEVER be a main player in Afghanistan.

 

[Jungibaaz]

Premature celebrations. USA has released a statement today that they don't trust the Taliban to keep to the agreement.

I was saying this for years, not just now. Calling it premature when this has been the only endgame scenario is incorrect.

It’s either this, or the US leaves in a rush and secures nothing for the long term in favour of the current Afghan “government”. If they didn’t enforce a deal, the Taliban would make of the current government what the Mujahideen did with the former DRA of Najibullah.