The%20sordid%20saga%20of%20Afghanistan%20shows%20no%20signs%20of%20ending.%26nbsp%3BFor%20centuries%2C%20this%20hapless%20land%20has%20been%20in%20the%20grip%20of%20a%20vicious%20circle%20of%20violence%20and%20bloodshed%2C%20with%20the%20balance%20of%20power%20shifting%20back%20and%20forth%20between%20warring%20tribal%20groups%2C%20leaving%20instability%20and%20abject%20poverty%20in%20the%20wake.%20Caught%20in%20the%20middle%20are%20ordinary%20Afghans%2C%20who%20have%20borne%20the%20brunt%20of%20the%20excesses%20of%20conflict–%26nbsp%3Bravaged%20by%20war%2C%20drought%20and%20hunger.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

It%20is%20these%20ordinary%20Afghans%20who%20see%20India%20as%20a%20friend%2C%20and%20who%20have%20high%20regard%20for%20it.%26nbsp%3BFor%20modern%2C%20post-Taliban%20Afghanistan%2C%20India%20has%20been%20a%20steadfast%20partner%20and%20has%20supported%20it%20with%20over%20%243%20billion%20in%20development%20assistance%2C%20far%20more%20than%20it%20has%20provided%20to%20any%20other%20nation.%20The%20partnership%20is%20built%20on%20the%20specific%20needs%20and%20requirements%20worked%20out%20with%20the%20government%20of%20Afghanistan.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/pakistans-unending-wish-to-do-a-bangladesh-to-india%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhen%20a%20Pakistan%20military%20officer%20confessed%20his%20hopes%20for%20avenging%20Bangladesh%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

India%27s%26nbsp%3Bassistance%20has%20taken%20various%20forms%20such%20as%20scholarships%20to%20students%2C%20infrastructure%20and%20transportation%20projects%2C%20medical%20teams%20to%20treat%20Afghans%2C%20and%20building%20institutional%20capacities%20at%20the%20ministry%20level.%20The%20%24290%20million%20Afghan-India%20Friendship%20Dam%28also%20known%26nbsp%3Bas%20the%20Salma%20Dam%29%2C%20the%20%2490%20million%20Afghan%20Parliament%20building%20in%20Kabul%20and%20the%20%24135%20million%20Delaram-Zaranj%20highway%20are%20just%20some%20examples%20of%20India%27s%20assistance%20to%20that%20country.%20Last%20month%2C%20on%20February%209%2C%20India%20pledged%20to%20provide%20%24236%20million%20for%20building%20a%20second%20dam%20on%20the%20outskirts%20of%20Kabul.%26nbsp%3BThe%20Shahtoot%20Dam%2C%20as%20it%20will%20be%20named%2C%20is%20planned%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20the%20next%20three%20years.%20It%20is%20set%20to%20hold%20nearly%20150%20million%20cubic%20meters%20of%20water%20to%20help%20irrigate%20some%204%2C000%20hectares%20of%20land%2C%20and%20to%20provide%20drinking%20water%20to%20some%20two%20million%20residents%20of%20Kabul.

Despite%20this%2C%20India%20has%20been%20denied%20the%20opportunity%20to%20play%20its%20due%20role%20in%20the%20Afghan%20peace%20process.%20However%2C%20that%20seems%20to%20be%20changing%20now.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BUS%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Tony%20Blinken%20has%20proposed%26nbsp%3Ba%20UN-led%20peace%20conference%20to%20be%20attended%20by%20foreign%20ministers%20and%20envoys%20from%20Russia%2C%20China%2C%20Pakistan%2C%20Iran%2C%20India%20and%20the%20US.%26nbsp%3B%20Thus%2C%20the%20marginalisation%20of%20India%20in%20the%20Afghan%20peace%20process%20seems%20to%20be%20ending.%26nbsp%3B

The%20government%20in%20Kabul%20wants%20that%20India%20should%20be%20part%20of%20the%20Afghan%20peace%20process.%20On%20the%20other%20hand%2C%20the%20Taliban%20and%20its%20Pakistani%20backers%20are%20strongly%20opposed%20to%20India%20having%20any%20role%20in%20this%20regard.%20China%20also%20supports%20its%20all-weather%20friend%20Pakistan%20in%20trying%20to%20exclude%20India.%20As%20a%20result%2C%20despite%20having%20a%20strong%20interest%20in%20the%20future%20of%20Afghanistan%2C%20India%20has%20been%20denied%20its%20due%20role%20in%20the%20peace%20talks.%20In%20fact%2C%20India%20has%20either%20been%20completely%20excluded%20or%20has%20been%20able%20to%20play%20a%20role%20only%20from%20the%20sidelines.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-us-defence-secretarys-recent-visit-signposts-and-markers%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%20US%20Defence%20Secretary%27s%20Recent%20Visit%3A%20Signposts%20and%20Markers%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Recently%2C%20Russia%20had%20invited%20representatives%20of%20China%2C%20Pakistan%2C%20and%20the%20United%20States%2C%20as%20well%20as%20the%20Afghan%20government%20and%20Taliban%2C%20for%20talks%20held%20in%20Moscow%20on%20March%2018.%20India%20was%20not%20invited%20to%20these%20talks%20despite%26nbsp%3Bhaving%20a%26nbsp%3Blong-standing%20friendship%20with%20Russia.%20It%20seems%20that%26nbsp%3Bthe%26nbsp%3BRussians%20acceded%20to%20pressure%20from%20Pakistan%20and%20China.%26nbsp%3BMoreover%2C%20the%20warming%20of%20India%27s%20ties%20with%20the%20US%20could%20also%20have%20influenced%20Russia%27s%20decision%20to%20exclude%20India.

%26nbsp%3BIt%20is%20important%20to%20note%20what%20was%20stated%20by%26nbsp%3BAfghan%20Foreign%20Minister%20Hanif%20Atmar%20who%20came%20to%20India%20on%20a%20three-day%20visit%20from%20March%2022-24.%26nbsp%3BAt%20a%20press%20conference%20at%20the%20end%20of%20his%20visit%2C%20he%20said%20that%20%22%20India%20has%20a%20legitimate%20interest%20in%20the%20peace%20and%20security%20of%20Afghanistan%20and%20we%20are%20seeking%20a%20greater%20role%20for%20it.%26nbsp%3BHe%20also%20lauded%20India%27s%20continuous%20support%20to%20the%20government%20and%20people%20of%20Afghanistan%2C%26nbsp%3Bsaying%20%22As%20always%2C%20India%20has%20been%20a%20very%20kind%2C%26nbsp%3Brespectful%20and%20generous%20friend%20of%20Afghanistan%22.%26nbsp%3B%20%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

As%20is%20well%20known%2C%20Pakistan%20has%20always%20tried%20to%20create%20strategic%20depth%20for%20itself%20in%26nbsp%3BAfghanistan%2C%20which%20implies%20being%20able%20to%20use%20its%20territory%20to%20further%20its%20own%20nefarious%20designs.%20For%20this%20reason%2C%20Pakistan%20wants%20to%20ensure%20that%26nbsp%3BIndia%20is%20completely%20pushed%20away%20and%20is%20prevented%20from%20having%20any%20role%20in%20Afghanistan.%20The%20Pakistan%20Foreign%20Office%20spokesman%20Mohammad%20Faisal%20had%20unambiguously%20enunciated%20his%20country%27s%20position%20in%20January%20last%20year%20when%2C%20in%20response%20to%20a%20question%2C%20he%20had%20said%26nbsp%3B%22India%20has%20no%20role%20in%20Afghanistan%22.%20A%20Pentagon%20report%20released%20in%20May%20last%20year%20affirms%20that%26nbsp%3BPakistan%20continues%20to%20focus%20on%20countering%20Indian%20influence%20in%20Afghanistan%20and%20harbours%20the%20Taliban%20and%20groups%20such%20as%20the%20Haqqani%20Network%2C%20which%20have%20the%20ability%20to%20engage%20in%20violence%20on%20Afghan%20soil.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BThe%20formal%20inclusion%20of%20India%20in%20the%20Afghan%20peace%20deliberations%20may%20alter%20the%20situation.%20In%20particular%2C%20it%20would%20upset%20the%20calculations%20of%20Pakistan%20and%20the%20Taliban–and%20perhaps%20China%20as%20well.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/us-china-roast-each-other-in-alaska%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EUS%2C%20China%20roast%20each%20other%20in%20Alaska%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20peace%20deal%20which%20the%20Trump%20administration%20reached%20with%20the%20Taliban%20on%20February%2029%20last%20year%26nbsp%3Baffected%20the%20interests%20of%20the%20Afghan%20government%20very%20adversely.%26nbsp%3BThe%20US%20agreed%20that%20within%26nbsp%3B135%20days%20of%20the%20deal%2C%20it%20would%20reduce%20its%20forces%20in%20Afghanistan%20to%208%2C600%20and%26nbsp%3Bwithdraw%20them%20completely%20within%2014%20months.%20US%20allies%20were%20also%20to%20withdraw%20their%20troops%20proportionately.%20Moreover%2C%20the%20US%20agreed%20to%20lift%20sanctions%20against%20the%20Taliban%20and%20to%20work%20with%20the%20UN%20to%20lift%20its%20separate%20sanctions%20against%20it.%20In%20return%2C%26nbsp%3Bthe%20Taliban%20agreed%20not%20to%20allow%20al-Qaeda%20or%20any%20other%20extremist%20group%20to%20operate%20in%20the%20areas%20they%20controlled.%20Additionally%2C%20the%20deal%20also%20provided%20for%20a%20prisoner%20swap%3B%20some%205%2C000%20Taliban%20prisoners%20and%201%2C000%20Afghan%20security%20force%20prisoners%20would%20be%20exchanged%20by%2010%20March%2C%20when%20talks%20between%20the%20Taliban%20and%20the%20Afghan%20government%20were%20due%20to%20start.%26nbsp%3B

If%20Trump%20really%20wanted%20to%20bring%20peace%20to%20Afghanistan%2C%20then%20he%26nbsp%3Bmade%20a%20blunder%20by%26nbsp%3Bputting%20the%20cart%20before%20the%20horse%2C%20for%26nbsp%3Bthe%20announcement%20of%20a%20timetable%20for%20US%20troop%20withdrawal%20should%20have%20been%20made%20only%20after%20the%20talks%20between%20the%20Afghan%20Government%20and%20the%20Taliban%20had%20reached%20an%20acceptable%20outcome.%20By%20announcing%20the%20withdrawal%20timetable%20before%20these%20talks%20had%20even%20started%2C%20Trump%20played%20into%20the%20hands%20of%20the%20Taliban%20and%20their%20backers%20in%20the%20Pakistan%20Government%2C%20especially%20the%20ISI.%20The%20Taliban%20quickly%20realised%26nbsp%3Bthat%20Trump%26nbsp%3Bhad%20made%20up%20his%20mind%20to%20pull%20out%20US%20troops%2C%20and%20they%20built%20their%20strategy%20around%20procrastination%20and%20erecting%20obstacles%20in%20their%20talks%20with%20the%20Kabul%20regime%2C%20thus%26nbsp%3Bbuying%20time.%20India%20was%20naturally%20concerned%20about%26nbsp%3Bthe%20prospects%20of%20the%20Pakistan-backed%20Taliban%20taking%20over%20the%20reins%20of%20power%20in%20Kabul.

The%20long-awaited%20intra-Afghan%20dialogue%20between%20the%20Kabul%20government%20and%20the%20Taliban%20started%20on%20September%2012%2C%202020%20but%20it%20got%20stalled%20and%20was%20still%20far%20from%20achieving%20any%20results.%20The%20talks%20hardly%20made%20any%20progress%20on%20some%20basic%20sticking%20points.%20The%20Afghan%20government%20backs%20the%20current%20socio-political%20system%2C%20while%20the%20Taliban%20wants%20to%20reimpose%20its%20version%20of%20Islamic%20law%20as%20the%20country%u2019s%20system%20of%20governance.%20The%20Taliban%2C%20who%20are%20Sunni%20hardliners%2C%20are%20insisting%20on%20adherence%20to%20the%20Hanafi%20school%20of%20Sunni%20Islamic%20jurisprudence%2C%20but%20the%20government%20negotiators%20say%20this%20could%20be%20used%20to%20discriminate%20against%20Hazaras%2C%20who%20are%20predominantly%20Shia%2C%20and%20other%20minorities%20in%20the%20country.%26nbsp%3BThe%20stalled%20talks%20resumed%20in%20February%202021%20but%20again%20made%20no%20headway.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/boris-beware-the-ides-of-march%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EBoris%2C%20beware%20the%20Ides%20of%20March%21%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20United%20Nations%20said%20in%20a%20report%20released%20on%20Feb%26nbsp%3B23%2C%202021%20that%26nbsp%3BCivilian%20casualties%20in%20Afghanistan%20escalated%20sharply%20after%20peace%20talks%20began%20in%20September%20last%20year%20and%20called%20for%20a%20ceasefire.%26nbsp%3BHowever%2C%20there%20has%20not%20been%20any%20letup%20in%20the%20violence.%20The%20Afghan%20government%20wants%20the%20Taliban%20to%20agree%20on%20a%20permanent%20ceasefire%2C%20a%20demand%20which%20has%20been%20resisted%20by%20the%20latter.%20In%20fact%2C%20the%20Taliban%20have%20shown%20no%20interest%20in%20reducing%20the%20violence%20as%20it%20is%20part%20of%20their%20strategy%20for%20increasing%20the%20pressure%20on%20the%20Kabul%20government.

General%20Kenneth%20McKenzie%2C%20head%20of%20the%20US%20Army%20Central%20Command%28CENTCOM%29%20said%20last%20month%20that%20the%26nbsp%3BTaliban%20are%20clearly%20responsible%20for%26nbsp%3Bviolence%20in%20Afghanistan%2C%20with%20civilians%20and%20Afghan%20security%20forces%20taking%20the%20brunt%20of%20the%20bloodshed.%20He%20said%3A%20%22%26nbsp%3BCertainly%20ISIS%20%28the%20Islamic%20State%20group%29%20has%20launched%20some%26nbsp%3Battacks.%20It%20pales%20against%20what%20the%20Taliban%20is%20doing.%20It%27s%20a%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3Bcombination%20of%20their%20countrywide%20attacks%26nbsp%3Bagainst%20the%20Afghan%20forces%2C%26nbsp%3Btheir%20targeted%20assassinations%20in%20some%20of%20the%20urban%20areas.%22%26nbsp%3BHe%20also%20said%20that%20%22Violence%20is%20not%20directed%20at%20us%20or%26nbsp%3Bour%20coalition%20NATO%20friends%2C%26nbsp%3Bit%20is%20directed%20against%20the%20Afghan%20military%26nbsp%3Band%20security%20forces%20and%20against%20the%20people%20as%20well.%26nbsp%3BAnd%20that%20is%20principally%20coming%20from%20the%20Taliban.%22

In%20this%20background%2C%20the%20Biden%20Administration%20has%20launched%20a%20diplomatic%20offensive%20to%20push%20through%20a%20new%20plan%26nbsp%3Bfor%20an%26nbsp%3Baccelerated%20peace%20process%20in%20Afghanistan.%26nbsp%3BThe%20new%20peace%20plan%20calls%20for%20the%20establishment%20of%20an%20interim%20government%20in%20a%20matter%20of%20weeks%2C%20charged%20with%20negotiating%20peace%20and%20a%20new%20constitution.%26nbsp%3BZalmay%20Khalilzad%2C%20the%20U.S.%20special%20envoy%20for%20Afghan%20reconciliation%2C%26nbsp%3Bhas%20met%20leaders%20in%20Kabul%20and%20Islamabad%20as%20also%20Taliban%20representatives%20in%20Doha.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/indo-us-strategic-partnership-sticking-it-to-china%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EStrategic%20partnership%20with%20India%3A%20Is%20the%20US%20sticking%20it%20to%20China%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

However%2C%20Afghan%20President%20Ashraf%20Ghani%20has%20rejected%20this%20plan%20which%26nbsp%3Brequires%20his%20government%20to%20step%20down%20and%20be%20replaced%20by%20an%20interim%20administration%20and%20is%20proposing%20instead%20another%20plan%20under%20which%26nbsp%3Ba%20new%20presidential%20election%20be%20held%20within%20six%20months%20if%20the%20Taliban%20agree%20on%20a%20ceasefire.%20He%20has%20said%20that%20he%20will%20unveil%20the%20details%20of%20his%20plan%20at%20an%20international%20meeting%20on%20Afghanistan%20to%20be%20held%20in%20Turkey%20next%20month.

In%20any%20case%2C%20the%20US%20plan%20cannot%20make%20any%20headway%20without%20Ghani%27s%20support.%26nbsp%3BIn%20view%20of%20the%20slow-motion%20peace%20negotiations%20between%20the%20Taliban%20and%20the%20Afghan%20government%2C%20the%20United%20States%20is%20faced%20with%20the%20question%20of%20whether%20it%20should%20withdraw%20its%20remaining%20troops%20from%26nbsp%3BAfghanistan%20which%20are%20understood%20to%20number%26nbsp%3B3%2C500%20and%20not%202%2C500%20as%20disclosed%20by%20it%20earlier.%20The%26nbsp%3Bdeal%20signed%20by%20the%20Trump%20administration%20with%20the%20Taliban%20calls%20for%20a%20full%20U.S.%20troop%20withdrawal%20by%20May%201%2C%20but%20the%20Biden%20administration%20has%20indicated%20that%20it%20is%20reviewing%20the%20deal.

Three%20days%20back%2C%20on%20May%26nbsp%3B25%2C%20Biden%20said%20at%20his%20first%20White%20House%20news%20conference%20that%20it%20would%20be%20hard%20to%20comply%20with%20the%26nbsp%3B%20May%201%20deadline%2C%20which%20also%20requires%20the%20departure%20of%20some%207%2C000%20allied%20forces.%20At%20the%20same%20time%2C%20he%20said%20that%20he%20%u201Ccould%20not%20picture%u201D%20US%20troops%20being%20in%20the%20country%20next%20year.%20The%20next%20day%2C%20the%20Taliban%20said%20it%20would%20resume%20hostilities%20against%20foreign%20forces%20-%20which%20ended%20under%20the%20US-Taliban%20deal%20-%20if%20they%20remain%20beyond%20the%20deadline.%26nbsp%3B

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Summing%20up%2C%20the%20Taliban%20wants%20the%20Americans%20and%20their%20allies%20to%20leave%20by%26nbsp%3BMay%201%2C%20while%20the%20Kabul%20government%20wants%20the%20US%20troops%20to%20stay%2C%20arguing%20that%20their%26nbsp%3Bwithdrawal%20at%20this%20juncture%20would%20simply%20lead%20to%20the%20collapse%20of%20Afghanistan.%26nbsp%3BLike%20Trump%2C%20Biden%20favours%20pulling%20out%20US%26nbsp%3Bforces%20but%20he%20is%20considering%20whether%20this%20would%20involve%20too%20high%20a%20risk%20of%20the%20Taliban%20defeating%20government%20forces%20and%20taking%20over%20key%20cities.%20Many%20senior%20military%20commanders%20also%20opine%20that%20a%20full%20US%20withdrawal%20could%20also%20lead%20to%20Al%20Qaeda%20and%20other%20groups%20hostile%20to%20the%20United%20States%20again%20establishing%20themselves%20in%20Afghanistan.%26nbsp%3BIn%20this%20evolving%20scenario%2C%20India%27s%20participation%20in%20the%20Afghan%20peace%20talks%20assumes%20significance%20and%20would%20be%20very%20helpful%20for%20the%20Afghan%20government–as%20also%20for%20ordinary%20Afghans%20whose%20lives%20it%20has%20assiduously%20tried%20to%20make%20better.

%26nbsp%3B

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