US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalme Khalilzad has said in an interview to the Indian daily English newspaper 'The Hindu' that India should talk directly with the Taliban.

This is probably the first time that a US official has asked India to negotiate directly with the Taliban. Among Asian countries, India is the only country which does not have formal relations with the Taliban.

Although China, Iran and Russia also refused to accept their government during the Taliban era in Afghanistan, now all three countries are in touch with the Taliban. Russia also hosted an international conference in November 2018 in connection with the Afghanistan peace process.

India has invested billions of rupees in Afghanistan in the last 20 years and Afghanistan has also made every effort to maintain its friendship with India in every possible way.

According to the Indian embassy in Kabul, so far India has invested more than two billion US dollars in Afghanistan.

The friendship between New Delhi and Afghanistan also became stronger because both were accusing their neighboring country of Pakistan for helping those fighting the Taliban and Kashmir.

According to Afghan affairs analysts, there are two major reasons why India has not kept contact with the Taliban till now. The first is the allegation of a close relationship with Pakistan or support of the Taliban, which opposed the government of Afghanistan until a few years ago, and the support of the Taliban fighting against India in Kashmir.

With the end of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, India again sent its diplomatic staff to Afghanistan after five years.

Former Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Gautam Mukhopadhyay was one of the Ambassadors who reopened the Indian Mission in Afghanistan.

Gautam Mukhopadhyay told the BBC that this is a friendly message for India indicating that the Taliban may soon enter Afghanistan's politics and India should also come on-board.

American author Barnett R. Ruben, who has written three books on Afghanistan, says that Khalilzad has not said that India should treat the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, but rather that the way other countries have contact with the Taliban and other factions . Similarly, India also kept in touch with the Taliban and asked them to give up arms and enter active politics.

But the question arises whether the Taliban will lay down arms to enter active politics? It would not only be hasty to say so but it would be a childish thing. Ruben may have forgotten or ignored the history of the Taliban or is making statements that affect him. Ruben will recall that the US could not defeat the Taliban in its military operations in the last 20 years, and the US was forced to make compromises with the Taliban, kneeling before the Taliban. The Taliban is a powerful military force group, arms are its strength. The Taliban have captured more than half of Afghanistan by force of arms, and many provinces are ruled by the Taliban. Why would the Taliban lay down arms in such a situation? The Taliban will retain their military force even after entering active politics.

According to Ruben, "Now that the Taliban have entered into the politics of Afghanistan, it will be good for India that it will make relations with them in the same way as it keeps with the Jamaat Islami, General Dostam or the post-apartheid groups. ''

According to Ruben, India's policy for the Taliban has already changed. He says that this was indicated when India sent two former ambassadors to the international conference to be held in Moscow in November 2018.

However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had said at the time that these two ambassadors are attending 'informally' in this conference.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Afghanistan Taliban's political office in Doha, told the BBC that the Taliban's political office has been created so that they can share their policy with the countries of the world.

He says, "Whoever contacts us, we will inform them about our present and future policy."

According to Sami Yusufzai, working as a journalist in Afghanistan, during the period of Taliban, more Kashmiri and Punjabi 'Mujahideen' had entered into Afghanistan and at that time India's concern was justified.

According to him "Now the Taliban can solve their problems with India easily".

According to former Indian Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhyay, India has not formally rejected the Taliban till date, it is another matter that he has not been in touch with them.

Gautam says that before talks with India, the Taliban should talk to the Afghan government and they should agree. He says, "I am not talking as a representative of the Government of India but would say that the Taliban should accept and talk to the Government of Afghanistan before India."

The question arises that when the Taliban does not accept the government of Afghanistan, why will it talk to India? The Taliban spokesman has already said that whoever contacts us, we will inform them about our current and future policy. That is, the Taliban themselves will not talk to anyone.

What will happen to the Government of Afghanistan now?

The question is that when many countries including USA, Germany, Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan have direct or indirect relations with the Taliban, why should the Afghan government worry if Afghanistan's close friend India has relations with the Taliban Should be?

According to Shaida Mohammad Abdali, former Ambassador of Afghanistan to India, India is a close and true friend of Afghanistan in this region, which, even if it belongs to the Taliban, will see the benefits of the government of Afghanistan more than its benefits, unlike other countries.

Could it be that India will put Afghanistan's interest above its own interest? What would happen if the Taliban formed a government in Afghanistan?

According to Abdali, "Although it is not clear yet what conditions India agrees to talk to the Taliban, but looking at the friendship between India and Afghanistan, I can say that even if they talk, the information of the Government of Afghanistan Will do with.''

Then the question arises that why the Taliban who do not talk to the Afghan government will talk to India? That too on India's terms!

Abdali understands that from the very beginning, it has been the effort of the Afghan government that regional countries should also play their part in the Afghan peace process and according to them, if a friend like India belongs to the Taliban, then the Afghan government will not have any concern.

Can Pakistan be worried?

On the one hand, if India has invested more than two billion dollars in Afghanistan, on the other hand the former jihadi leaders of Pakistan have good and friendly relations with the Taliban and other country. Some Pakistani analysts believe that the former Mujahideen and the Taliban can defend Pakistan's gains in Afghanistan as far as possible.

Since 2001, as India and Afghanistan's historical relations once again grew, Pakistan's concern about it also increased. Pakistan is worried about why India is investing billions in Afghanistan?

Pakistan believes that the Government of Afghanistan should be closer to Pakistan than India. However, Afghanistan believes that as an independent and self-reliant country, Pakistan has no right to interfere with their relations with any other countries.

Pakistan has alleged that along with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Baloch protesters are also using Afghanistan's land against Pakistan. On the other hand, the acceptance of India among the people of Afghanistan is high and even today Pakistan's intelligence agency is blamed for most incidents of extremism.

According to Ruben, if Pakistan believes that the Taliban in Afghanistan will defend the benefits of Pakistan, then it will be a big mistake for Pakistan.

According to him, due to compulsion, the Taliban took refuge in Pakistan, now as they get back into the mainstream of Afghan politics, their dependence on Pakistan will also decrease.

It is difficult to fully agree with Ruben's talk. Even today, the Taliban control and direct control over half of Afghanistan's territory. One more thing, Pakistan has played an important role in getting the US-Taliban agreement. In such a situation, why would the Taliban leave their old ally Pakistan when the Taliban entered active politics? The Taliban has ruled Afghanistan before. Did the Taliban leave Pakistan then? Even then, there were good relations between the Taliban and Pakistan and still exists.

But why should India talk to the Taliban at the behest of America? If America compromises with the Taliban, then why should India talk to the Taliban? Should India dance at the behest of America? The corona virus has caused havoc all over the world. Powerful countries like America, Russia and China have also been destroyed by this. After the destruction of the corona virus, the world will change a lot. Every country will think only of its own interest. In such a situation, India should also think only about its own interest.

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