Afghanistan : Will Peace Return To The Region After Thousands of Years
As the US prepares to complete the withdrawal by 11 September 2021, after two decades of war, the Taliban ( meaning “Students” in Pashto ) are overrunning Afghan military outposts, towns and villages. As per one report, the Taliban has occupied 50 out of total 370 district in Afghanistan. Indian embassy in Kabul has issued a security advisory to Indians to be on guards against kidnapping by insurgents. Indians are advised not to adhere to a fixed routine and to change routes frequently.
Now, the question arises; what Indians are doing in Afghanistan ? India has built hundreds of Schools, hospitals and other infrastructure projects including Afghan Parliament in last two decades since democracy returned to this war torn nation. India has invested more than 3 billion dollars for various projects. It is building more than 400 infrastructure projects which are at various stages of completion, in which more than 3000 Indians are involved, majority of them engineers. India is training Afghans Army officers in its elite military school, Police Officers, Nurses, Teachers etc.
The Russia occupied Afghanistan in 1979. For a decade the gritty Afghans fought the most powerful army in the world. Trained by Pakistan Army, armed and funded by USA and its allies the Mujahidin fought gorilla war and forced Russians to leave Afghanistan 1989.
The Taliban emerged in Northern Pakistan following withdrawal of Russian troops. Taliban is predominantly a Pashtun movement raised in Pakistani Madrassas funded by Saudi Arabia, it follows Saudi line of hardline Sunni Islam. It ruled most of Afghanistan since 1995 till 2001, it applied strict Sharia Law punishment in open courts without trial was common. In 2001, after 9/11 USA blamed Taliban for harboring Osama Bin Laden, with its NATO allies captured Afghanistan, installed the current government restoring democracy . Even in this period of relative peace the Afghan people did not like intervention of US and its allies and insurgency continued causing heavy losses to US Army which remained confined to bases mostly.
The Taliban entered direct talks with US in 2018, and in February 2020 two sides reached a peace deal in Doha that committed the USA to withdraw and Taliban to preventing attacks on USA forces. Other promises included not allowing Al-Queda or other militant to operate in areas it controlled and proceeding with national peace talks. There was pressure from US on Indian Government to join the talks but India resisted all attempts.
The Jaish-E-Mohammad hijacked IC-814 from Nepal and took it to Kandahar in 1999. The present NSA Ajit Doval who was then Additional Director IB, reached there to negotiate reported that Taliban fighters surrounded the plane to prevent any intervention from Indian Security forces. There were two high ranking ISI officers present there. Shri Doval reportedly said afterwards that if ISI officer were not present India would have easily resolved the crises. Indian Government has since made a policy of not talking to Taliban treating it as a terrorist organization.
India-mukt Afghanistan, as desired by Pakistan, will be nothing but a recipe for disaster. Even if we forget, for a moment, India’s generous humanitarian aid and infrastructural development assistance to Afghanistan, what New Delhi’s engagement with Kabul underscores is the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of Afghanistan. Last year, Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, called on India to engage with the Afghan Taliban and “directly discuss its concerns related to terrorism,” adding that Washington wants New Delhi to “take on a more active role in the Afghan peace process. “Following the meeting, many speculated that Jaishankar also met Taliban leaders who assured the foreign minister that the outfit’s future relations with India will not be based on Pakistan’s wishes. The speculations were further fuelled after senior Qatari officials held separate meetings with Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, and a team of Taliban negotiators. India on the other hand categorically rejected reports about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with Taliban leaders, describing them as “false and mischievous”. It is believed in international circles that the press leak was deliberate and Indian authorities are in fact in touch with various groups in Afghanistan. As is clear from EAM spokesperson statement that “We are in contact with all stakeholders.”
Indian policy is clear. Addressing the intra-Afghan talks last year, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reiterated his country’s support for an “Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled” peace process and refrained from offering any view on the Taliban’s participation. Perhaps Washington would also like India to follow this policy approach given that the group is poised to return to power in one form or another, and India’s engagement with the Taliban can ultimately serve the United States’ interests as well. In the UNSC Debate on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan last week, Jaishankar had called for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire to ensure reduction in violence in Afghanistan and said that terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries must be dismantled immediately for enduring peace in the war-torn country.
For enduring peace in region the Indian role in Afghanistan is crucial. Indian Government has declined all moves to involve Indian Security forces even in peace keeping role. This has enhanced reputation of India in the eyes of all Afghan people who have all their lives seen foreign forces interfering in their affairs. Traditionally Indian people enjoy tremendous goodwill in Afghanistan. During last two decades of democratic rule a new generation has come up which has a modern outlook and will not like to return to medieval form of governance. The Taliban movement grew among Pashtuns who have great respect for India and wanted to merge with India in 1947. The Pashtun leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was known popularly as Frontier Gandhi. Another bordering area Baluchistan Indians enjoy a lot of goodwill as large part of its population trace their ancestry from Maratha Soldiers captured by Abdali in third battle of Panipat. This is the main reason for Indian Government’s tremendous confidence in continuing its humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.
Another reason of confidence of Indian Government is huge respect Indian Government enjoys with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other Islamic nations. Saudi Prince and all rulers of middle east nations have close personal ties with and held PM Modi in high esteem. They as main financers have a great influence on these groups including Taliban.
Afghanistan, the ancient Gandhar, home to Gandhari, Shakuni and the famous Takshshila University has not seen peace for thousands of years. It always acted as first post of resistance to invaders of our ancient land. The Alexander the great met his end there, injured in battle for a fort on his way back to Greece. It will be a great tribute to our ancestors if by the efforts of present government the democratic revival of last two decades continue unabated.
