Taliban can't be trusted, India should take cautious steps: Expert

Given the security situation in Afghanistan, the decision was made by the Indian government to remove diplomats and personnel from the Kabul embassy. However, the Taliban did not want India to evacuate the embassy in Kabul, requesting it to retain its diplomatic position in Afghanistan, vowing to ensure the mission's safety.

New Delhi: Given the security situation in Afghanistan, the decision was made by the Indian government to remove diplomats and personnel from the Kabul embassy. However, the Taliban did not want India to evacuate the embassy in Kabul, requesting it to retain its diplomatic position in Afghanistan, vowing to ensure the mission's safety.

It is learnt that the informal request was made by the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, right before India evacuated about 200 people, including diplomatic and security personnel earlier this week. There are still many Indians stuck in Kabul and other cities of Afghanistan, including a group of around 300 Sikhs and Hindus who are taking refuge at a Gurdwara in Afghanistan.

Commenting on the issue, Prof Harsh Pant, Director, Research at Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi told ETV Bharat that as far as India is concerned, any commitment that the Taliban makes cannot be taken at face value. The Taliban cannot be trusted, India should take cautious steps. He said, "India was right to evacuate its officials from Kabul, despite, Stanekzai seeming request. As far as India is concerned, any commitment made by the Taliban cannot be taken at face value. India cannot put its eggs in the Taliban basket at least at this stage. India should wait and watch and see how the Taliban behaves over the next few weeks and months. And perhaps decides its future course of action", he pointed out.

"These are very early days and opposition to Taliban is beginning to shape up under the leadership of Amrullah Saleh. Therefore, I don't think there is any real hurry in this case. The reports that are emerging are that of the Taliban going from house to house, trying to take on people who have not been their supporters. That is how the Taliban have always behaved. I don't see that the request made by the Taliban should have been reason enough for India to keep its diplomatic staff there. The decision was sensible and as far as the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is concerned, India has every reason to take ginger steps", Pant underlined.

According to sources, Stanekzai conveyed in his message to the Indian side that the Taliban were aware of New Delhi's concern over the security situation in Kabul, following the August 15 seizure of power by the Taliban, telling them not to worry about the safety of its mission. After reviewing the message, India decided that it should not be accepted and that the evacuation of the diplomats should proceed as planned.

Change in India-Afghan ties under Taliban regime

Further, when asked as to how the India-Afghan ties would be under the Taliban regime, Professor Pant said, "Under the Taliban, India- Afghan ties are going to be different because there is uncertainty as to what the Taliban plan to do next."

"Although, the Taliban insurgent groups are making promises during their press conferences that they want to bring all the stakeholders together and if they can create a structure for political reconciliation, then India should have no problem engaging with them. But if the situation escalates and the Taliban continue to wipe out their political opponents, continue to be brutal, and continues to be an ideological group that is run by extremists, then what's there for India to engage with? because there is nothing they are going to give India that will make any difference."

"Let China and Pakistan, Russia go ahead and recognize it as soon as possible. But for India the considerations are different, it has always talked of a long term solution to the Afghan question and that is unlikely to happen under the present circumstances, where a lot depends on how other stakeholders respond to the Taliban. Most likely, the world will witness civil-war like situation in Afghanistan once again", Prof Pant explained.

Meanwhile, most of the Sikhs and Hindus who have taken shelter in Kabul Gurudwara have been shifted to a safer place by the Indian embassy officials as the situation deteriorates in Afghanistan. There are around 285 to 300 Sikhs and Hindus taking refuge in Karte Prawan Gurudwara in Kabul.
The Indian government has said it is working to bring back all Indians who wish to return but has also said it will prioritise the return of Hindus and Sikhs.

When asked as to how India's approach should be as far as security issues are a concerned given the situation in Afghanistan, Professor Pant said,
"India should concentrate on its borders with Pakistan and focus on making it the deterrence vis-à-vis the border as robust as possible. India should keep a close eye on its domestic frontier."

"While externally, India should keep its channel of communication open with countries like Iran and Russia. Though Russia seems to be leaning towards the Taliban, it knows that extremist ideologies like the Taliban's cannot be contained in the border. Keeping communications open with Iran and Russia will be particularly important. India by and large will have the option of also looking at what the West is saying. At the moment, the leadership in the western countries seems to be saying that the Taliban will have to behave if they want any kind of recognition from the West. Therefore, India should also be engaged with the West on how it can coordinate its actions", Pant added.

In contrast to the Taliban assuring safety to the minorities, protests have intensified in different provinces of Afghanistan with the Taliban carrying out a spree of violence and torture against the civilians in the war-ravaged nation. Amnesty International on Friday said that the Taliban were killing minorities fuelling fear in Afghanistan. It said that the Taliban fighters' massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of Afghanistan's Ghazni province last month.