Why Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan matters. It has a Pakistan connection
Source : India Today
NSA Ajit Doval with his Uzbekistan counterpart Victor Makhmudov and other dignitaries during their meeting, in New Delhi, on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. (PTI Photo) |
The Taliban have welcomed the ‘Delhi Declaration’ on Afghanistan after India hosted seven countries from its neighbourhood to discuss the situation in the geo-strategically significant country. Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said the group saw the India-hosted meeting on Afghanistan as a positive step.
The national security advisors (NSAs) of eight countries — India, Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — met over Afghanistan on Wednesday in Delhi and signed a declaration that called for Afghan territory not to be used for terrorism.
“We agree with what has been said [at the NSA-level meeting],” Suhail Shaheen was quoted as saying in news reports about the meeting chaired by India’s NSA Ajit Doval.
What Delhi Declaration saidThe joint declaration of eight countries called for ensuring that Afghanistan must not turn into a haven for terror activities. The declaration said, “Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.”
There has been a rising concern about Afghanistan becoming the epicentre of sending out terror tremors across South Asia and Central Asia since the Taliban took over the country in mid-August. The Taliban have shared an intricate relationship with the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), known to sponsor and train terrorists, fomenting trouble in Jammu and Kashmir.
Another significant concern has been the Taliban regime’s exclusive nature that rejects all non-Islamic practices and beliefs in Afghanistan. The joint declaration made it a point, saying, “Inclusion of all sections of the society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country.”
Why it matters
The Delhi Declaration matters as it indicates several subtle changes in India’s policy and equation with the country and its neighbourhood. The fact that NSA Ajit Doval held a meeting of his counterparts from seven other countries spells out a clear shift in India’s position on Afghanistan from development-oriented to counter-terrorism for securing India’s domestic security concerns in immediacy.
India had planned it to be a 10-nation declaration. But the NSAs of China and Pakistan backed out from the meeting after they were invited by India. Pakistan and China appeared to claim a victory of sorts, at least in diplomacy, when the Taliban toppled the democratically elected government earlier this year.
Pakistan even taunted India for having invested over $3 billion in various development projects in Afghanistan. However, despite the taunts and Pakistan-China efforts to push India out of the equation regarding Afghanistan, India remains active as a facilitator of peace in the restive country.
However, unlike Pakistan and China, the Taliban have shown more openness to India’s efforts towards establishing normalcy in Afghanistan. That the Taliban, which have been inimical towards India historically, supported the move hints that the back-channel of communication between the group and the Indian government is still open and functioning in real-time.
Finally, India’s efforts matter as Pakistan is holding a separate meeting on Afghanistan the Troika Plus on Thursday. China will be joining the US, Russia and Pakistan to discuss the Afghan situation. Pakistan is aiming to outsmart India in this meeting.
An interesting aspect of the two meetings is that Russia, the only member attending both meetings, sounded a note of caution after signing the Delhi Declaration. Following the joint declaration on Wednesday, Russia issued a separate statement in which it appeared soft on the Taliban over terrorism. Its separate statement chose to omit the reference expressing concern over the possibility of Afghanistan becoming “a safe haven for global terrorism”.
Russia also looked to mellow down its stand taken in the joint declaration over the rights of women, children and minority communities under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, radicalistaion and drug trafficking. Pakistan could claim it as another point scored over India. It already boasts of hosting bigger global players in the US and China than the seven countries that India hosted over the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
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