India’s engagement after America’s exit must build on its resonating vision of a stable and plural Afghanistan. Comment (200 Words)
Refer - The Hindu
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IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· Addressing the opening session of the Doha meeting, India’s External Affairs reiterated that the peace process must be “Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled” but Indian policy has evolved from its earlier hands-off approach to the Taliban.
· The reality is major powers have limited interests. For the U.S.,the peace talks provide U.S. President an exit opportunity weeks before his re-election bid. The European Union has made it clear that its financial contribution will depend on the security environment and the human rights record.
· China can always lean on Pakistan to preserve its security and connectivity interests. For Russia, blocking the drug supply and keeping its southern periphery secure from extremist influences is key. That is why no major power is taking ownership for the reconciliation talks, but merely content with being facilitators.
· A report issued last month by the Heart of Asia Society, a Kabul-based think tank observes that “the prospect for peace in Afghanistan depends on regional consensus to support the peace process as much as it depends on actual progress in the intra-Afghan talks”.
· India’s vision of a sovereign, united, stable, plural and democratic Afghanistan is one that is shared by a large constituency in Afghanistan, cutting across ethnic and provincial lines.
· A more active engagement will enable India to work with like-minded forces in the region to ensure that the vacuum created by the U.S. withdrawal does not lead to an unravelling of the gains registered during the last two decades.
