The Taliban factors

Source: The post is based on an article “The Taliban Factor” published in the Business Standard on 17^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 International relations; Bilateral relations

Relevance: India-Afghanistan relations

News: Recently, the Taliban regime completed its one year of rule in Afghanistan. Now is the time to assess its relations with India.

India has long enjoyed a benign reputation in Afghanistan because of its traditional developmental role in that country.

India’s Foreign Policy Challenges

Taliban 2.0 has imposed its vague notion of an eighth-century Islamic state and established its Sharia law that overrides human rights and oppresses women.

The Taliban lacks a constructive governing system and skill in the art of state-building. Therefore, the regime could not rebuild Afghanistan, which has been ruined by decades of war and lack basic institutions of governance.

India is finding it difficult to establish diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime. India closed its embassy and withdrew all personnel due to attacks on Indians.

Both Taliban and Pakistan have been strong supporters of each other. Further, India had supported the opposition alliance against Taliban 1.0. that ruled from 1996 to October 2001, which did not go in the interest of Taliban.

Afghanistan has become a safe haven for terrorists and terror outfits who want to recruit soldiers. For example, the Taliban has given shelter to al-Zawahiri, who was recently killed by the US. This is the reason there has been an upsurge in a terrorist activity like recruitment along the Indo-Pakistan border since the reading down of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India.

New Developments

Recently, India became the 15^th nation that signaled rapprochement by reopening its embassy in Kabul. The intended objective behind it is, to closely monitor and coordinate the humanitarian assistance that is being given by India.

At present, India can forge more durable ties with the Taliban on account of manifest tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. For example, the Taliban refused to accede to a Pakistani government request to surrender Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan elements sheltering across the border. As a result, Islamabad informed the whereabouts of al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri to the US.