It is quite unfortunate that Pakistan, always eyes India with suspicion. It is not a surprising matter that since six decades on the ‘core’ issue of Jammu & Kashmir, both are at loggerheads even though several rounds of negotiations have been held since sixty four years. In the meantime three wars have been fought bringing huge loses to both countries. But the ‘core’ issue of Jammu & Kashmir remains ‘core’ issue without reaching any solution. But we believe in continuing bilateral talks and these bilateral talks help in a big way to proceed along somewhat smoothly. As the astute politician and former diplomat Manisankar Iyer recently mentioned the importance of ‘uninterruptable uninterruptability’ on the issue of talks between the two nations. Such talks would help in maintaining a level playing field and would prompt both nations to move ahead in future too.
Now that a trilateral talks between Pakistan, Afghanistan and USA is on the anvil Afghanistan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul has begun a visit to Pakistan beginning Thursday. The trilateral talk is intended to bring Taliban into the mainstream. Since America had already shown tiredness after fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 without achieving their goals, barring deaths of lakhs of Afghans, property destruction besides human casualties on the sides of America + NATO alliance. Al-Quaeda leaders Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Al Sawahiri, whose heads US wanted most are still at large and now it seems they have won the game in case they are still safely embedded in their havens. Since the last two years US and allies were thinking along the lines of withdrawing from the scene for good. Still US is thinking along these lines, hence it has found a good friend in Pakistan – even otherwise too Pakistan is its all-weather friend – and now that time has arrived and the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister of Afghanistan to Pakistan for paving the spade-work for talks with the Taliban, who claims to be the rightful heirs to rule Afghanistan since a decade and more.
Furthermore Afghan President Hamid Karzai, though was in good terms with US of late, is not that friendly with US.
That too must have prompted America for holding a tripartite talks with Pakistan and Afghanistan to befriend Taliban. Moreover Pakistan is in bonhomie with Taliban and that cordial relationship with Pakistan would help to find a let-up.
The Pak Foreign Minister Sha Muhammed Qureshi is against including India in the ensuing talks and his argument goes on the lines of including only Muslim nations especially Organisation of Islamic Countries. Though India is a prime player in the development of Afghanistan – thousands of skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled workers are risking their lives in various fields like IT, education, health, infrastructure development etc. Many Indians had to shed their lives in the course of their service to that nation, still many go on serving in the face of risks to their lives from Taliban elements.
Even after all these Pakistan Foreign Minister insisting on not to include India in the talks is nothing but self-interest besides isolating India, entirely from Afghanistan. The triggering of suicide bomb explosion by ramming a vehicle packed with explosives into Indian embassy killing about fifty Indians was with the covert support of Pakistan intelligence agency – Inter Services Intelligence, it is a naked truth known to not only India but America, Afghanistan, in short the world over.
Isolation of India from Afghanistan as far as Pakistan is concerned is of another benefit to Pakistan. It can very well concentrate its forces on the Kashmiri border and can very well provide fund, training and logistical support to hard-core terrorists to infiltrate from outside the border posing a threat to India. Hence it is Pakistan’s all time aim to isolate India from Afghanistan with the support of Taliban elements, once and for all.
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