- LATEST
- WEBSTORY
- TRENDING
INDIA
Rao weighs India’s options
With the Taliban determined to oppose Indian presence in Afghanistan, Indian needs to weigh its options there. Just why foreign secretary Nirupama Rao is in Kabul.
Updated : Nov 19, 2013, 11:17 PM IST
TRENDING NOW
)
AR Rahman, Saira Banu's daughter Raheema opens up on parents' divorce being linked to Mohini Dey: 'Always remember...'
)
Riddhima Kapoor Sahni reveals Rishi Kapoor's last two wishes: 'He wanted to see Ranbir Kapoor getting...'
)
Sana Khan, former Bigg Boss contestant, actress announces 2nd pregnancy with Anas Saiyad: 'Only Allah has power to..'
)
'Good to be back': After breaking up with Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor reunites with his 'partner-in-crime after ages'
)
'Your dance lightens up...': Little girl's dance on 'Tere Bina na Guzara E' steals hearts online, WATCH viral video
)
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan tells Amitabh Bachchan: 'I hope people don't...'
)
This Pakistani Influencer's private video leaked online, days after Minahil Malik and Insha Rehman's clips
)
After breakup with Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor dedicates his new tattoo to this special person in his life
)
32-year-old superstar forcibly kissed 15-year-old co-star; left her traumatised, crying; later laughed about it saying..
)
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
)
Amid Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours, Jaya Bachchan says 'not my daughter' in viral video
)
Telecom rules to change from January 1, Mukesh Ambani's Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL will be affected due to...
)
Gandii Baat, XXX actress Aabha Paul sets Instagram on fire with hot photos
)
Meet Mathira Khan, Pakistani influencer whose private video leaked after Minahil Malik, Imsha Rehman
)
Shweta Tiwari's wedding photos with Bigg Boss 13 contestant Vishal Aditya Singh go viral, here's the truth behind them
With the Taliban determined to oppose Indian presence in Afghanistan, Indian needs to weigh its options there. Just why foreign secretary Nirupama Rao is in Kabul, to take stock of the situation following the terror strike on the Indian embassy.
As US president Barack Obama and his team mull the next steps to take in Afghanistan, the Taliban want to assert that they cannot be ignored in any future political set-up.
Reports from Washington suggest Obama is not ruling out talks and a role for the Taliban. There is a school of thought there that it is not the Taliban but the al-Qaida that is a threat to the US. Not everybody agrees though.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, believes the Taliban are ideologically close to the al-Qaida, had hosted Osama bin Laden and even refused to hand him over to America. Even if Obama’s formula works for the US, it will be disastrous for India. So far Delhi has opposed talks with the Taliban and denied there is a “good and bad” Taliban.
President Hamid Karzai has been making overtures to the moderate Taliban, but there is no indication Mullah Omar is listening. The Taliban, originally nurtured and supported by Pakistan, were always anti-India. Thursday’s attack suggests Taliban and its backers will challenge Delhi’s increasing influence.
The US will finalise its Afghanistan policy by month-end. If the US and Kabul decide to engage the Taliban, India will be isolated. Pakistan has been fretting ever since India made a comeback in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s downfall. If the Taliban is accommodated, Pakistan will ensure India’s role is minimised again.
Pakistan is also telling the US military that India’s consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat are used only to stir trouble in Balochistan. Dependent as it is on the Pakistan military, the US listens to it.
The stakes are too high for India to make an about-turn. But “We don’t need to toe the US line,’’ an official said. The ordinary Afghan appreciates Delhi’s reconstruction efforts there. Unless the Taliban calls the shots, India will stay on. “But we need to have a second option ready,” he said.
