The Taliban blitz: India Has Developed A Greater Stake In Afghanistan

War on Terror

24 Jul 2008, NewAgeIslam.Com

The Taliban blitz: India Has Developed A Greater Stake In Afghanistan

By Salman Haidar   For the first time, with the assault on the Mission in Kabul, India has been the victim of a suicide attack on one of its embassies. Until now, Indian Missions abroad have been exempt from such assaults though they have often been exposed in the firing line: indeed, there was an earlier incident in Kabul several years ago when a random rocket attack on the embassy cost the life of a member of the security staff. This time it has been a much more terrible incident, specifically aimed at the Mission and taking many valuable lives. This was a particular blow to the Indian Foreign Service, which lost an up-and-coming officer. He and the other civil and military victims must be saluted for their devotion to duty and their readiness to accept the risk of serving in so exposed a setting. On the previous occasion, the loss of life at the Embassy led to its being shut down. Conditions were too dangerous, it was judged, to justify its being kept open; so the Ambassador returned to New Delhi, accompanied by all his staff. This time, however, despite the much greater damage and the enhanced level of risk, there is no talk of closing the embassy. This is one measure of the greater stake India has developed in Afghanistan and the strengthened relations between the two countries.   Nation-building   Indian assistance is an important part of the nation-building process in this neighbouring country that remains in dire condition even after several years of being liberated from the fanatical Taliban regime. India is part of a large international effort at rehabilitation, and though that effort is yet to deliver anything like the results that had been expected, India remains committed to what it had agreed to do. This country has a good deal of experience in collaborating with Afghanistan on varied development projects. In earlier days, pioneering work was done by Indian experts in setting up useful facilities like micro-hydels in remote mountain areas. There was also a more ambitious irrigation scheme in Northern Afghanistan which was completed despite the vicissitudes of violent political change. Nor should one forget the Indian gift of a fully-equipped children's hospital in Kabul. So when India was able to resume its development cooperation with Afghanistan after the hiatus brought about by the Taliban, it was already familiar with local conditions. India's resumed involvement in Afghanistan's development is on a much larger scale than the relatively modest schemes of the past: after the devastation of two decades of strife, Afghanistan's needs are huge, and India's capacity to lend support is also much increased. The resurgent insurrectionary groups seem intent on attacking Indian facilities and personnel because they are helping consolidate the government of President Karzai, which the Taliban are intent on dislodging. But though terrorist attacks may increase the cost to India of its task in Afghanistan, the commitment remains unimpaired A disturbing report suggests that the group that attacked the Indian Embassy had obtained clandestine support from Pakistan's notorious ISI. This adds a dangerous dimension to the event. Already there has been an adverse fallout on India-Pakistan relations, for these events seem to have dominated the talks of the foreign secretaries of the two countries that have just been held in New Delhi. The frustration in New Delhi has even provoked calls for a tit-for-tat reply, though India has never indulged in such activity despite the severe provocations it has had to endure. But there is no denying that reports of ISI collusion in the murderous attack in Kabul have cast a shadow on Indo-Pak ties and added to the problems between the two countries. Afghanistan has reacted strongly to the incident, even more intensely than India. For quite some time now, the Afghan authorities, beginning with the President himself, have made no bones about their conviction that the trouble in their country is being stoked by Pakistan, and that there can be no solution unless the terrorist bases in Pakistan's tribal area are eliminated. These complaints from Kabul have been addressed chiefly to the USA where, despite all the Afghan urging, they failed to cut much ice. Only now, as the USA and other international casualties mount in Afghanistan at the hands of the revived Taliban, which benefits from ready access to Pakistani territory, is the military and political pressure on Pakistan to curb this process becoming more visible. This has its own complications, for increased military activity by US and allied forces has led to several incidents in which civilian lives have been lost. As a result, there is increased bitterness towards the foreign presence and enhanced local support for the groups striking at targets in Afghanistan. The intensity of the conflict is reviving after a long period when the situation seemed to be under control. Thus dangerous days lie ahead and the attack on the Indian Embassy is to be seen as part of a concerted military assault against President Karzai's regime. Having consolidated their authority in southern parts of the country around Kandahar, the Taliban seem to be ready to embark on another attempt on Kabul. These developments have also raised further questions about the effectiveness of the strategy adopted by the Islamabad government in dealing with the situation. Negotiations with tribal leaders aimed at cutting off support for cross-border attacks, in return for maintenance of the traditional autonomy of the tribes, can be regarded as having failed to deliver results. In fact, Pakistan has been forced to resume military activity against its recalcitrant tribals and to deploy substantial fresh troops in the tribal areas to enforce its writ.   Mounting danger   Meanwhile, the chimera of obtaining 'strategic depth' in its eternal confrontation with India continues to animate some elements in the security structure of Pakistan. Such ill-conceived ambitions only add to the mounting danger of the situation. Little wonder, then, that Afghanistan has been loud and anguished in its accusations against its neighbour. There is a further dimension to these events that is of particular concern to India, in that the Taliban revival could lead also to revival of terrorist infiltration into Kashmir. Already there have been incidents suggesting that the relative calm in the Valley of the last couple of years is being disturbed, and this can only add further strain to Indo-Pak relations. Difficult times are thus on the horizon. The saving grace is that these difficulties have not led to a breakdown in the dialogue process, as they might well have done just a few years ago. As problems increase, the need to address them becomes more important, so it is appropriate that senior officials from the two sides have met and that they propose to do so again before too long.   The writer is India's former Foreign Secretary and now a regular columnist.   Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=215161