KOLKATA: Former Indian foreign secretary Krishnan Srinivasan wishes that the Indian government should go for a dialogue with the Taliban. “There is talk that India may be already in touch with the Taliban, but it is not known where and when and at what level. It is also not clear why these contacts have been kept confidential by the government,” he said.
Srinivasan said that since the Taliban are apparently the de facto authority in Afghanistan and control most of the country a dialogue can give some advantages.
“There will be no alternative but to deal with them, since whether or not there is a functioning embassy in place, India will have interests to protect, such as ongoing development projects, Indian nationals and Afghan and other country nationals who wish to travel to India.
“ In the longer-term, assuming the Taliban consolidate their hold on power and gain widespread legitimacy, there will be a basic requirement to transact normal government day to day business unless India takes a decision to keep the regime in Afghanistan and Afghan people in general at arm’s length.”
The former diplomat felt that assuming this is not the case, “Contacts with the Taliban will be necessary even for the resumption of the work of the embassy and the return of the ambassador.”
The former foreign secretary regrets the manner, in which the Kabul embassy was closed down suddenly amid the crisis.
“We have not been told the full circumstances for the rapid exit from Kabul. On the face of it, it was a serious error, since many other missions, including ones from countries formerly engaged in combat with the Taliban, have remained in place,” he said.
