Book reveals Taliban’s consultation with Pakistan military on Indian diplomats
The recent return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan has raised questions about the group’s relationship with neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan and India. A new book by former Pakistani police officer Hasan Abbas, “The Return of the Taliban,” sheds light on some of the behind-the-scenes dealings between the Taliban and Pakistani military, as well as the role played by India in the conflict.
One of the book’s most significant revelations is that the Taliban consulted with then-army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa before allowing Indian diplomats to return to Kabul. After the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021, India pulled out all its officials and security personnel from Kabul due to security concerns. However, in June 2022, India deployed a technical team led by a middle-ranking diplomat to re-establish its presence in Afghanistan.
According to Abbas, the Taliban’s interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi held a detailed meeting with Bajwa before requesting that India send back its diplomats and technical staff to the Indian embassy in Afghanistan. This was surprising given that Pak had previously believed that India had used its access to Kabul during the Ghani government’s reign to restrict Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan.
Abbas writes that “Pakistan acted this way because it just might open up prospects of some aid for the Taliban in Afghanistan.” This suggests that Pakistan saw the Taliban’s diplomatic relationship with India as a means of securing some form of assistance from India for the Taliban.
According to the book, suspicions about Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the current deputy foreign minister and former member of the Taliban’s Doha political office, continue to linger among Pakistan’s intelligence services due to his graduation from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in the 1980s. Despite being a significant contact for India’s clandestine discussions with the Taliban prior to their takeover of Kabul in 2021, Stanikzai has been marginalized in recent months.
Despite the Taliban’s close relationship with Pakistan, the book suggests that the Taliban are increasingly conscious of their reputation as being closely aligned with Pakistan’s military and intelligence services. The group has turned to Pakistan to obtain counter-terrorism capability to fight Daesh, including drones and other hi-tech equipment.
The Taliban are reluctant to take decisive measures against the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) because they believe that TTP members who are currently in hiding in Afghanistan could potentially join the ranks of Daesh (Islamic State), according to their assessment. India’s role in the conflict is also explored in the book. Abbas writes that the Indian government used its access to Kabul during the Ghani government’s reign to restrict Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan.
According to the book, an anonymous Pakistani general claimed that the Pakistani military has complete knowledge of India’s efforts to establish contact with Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Siraj Haqqani, through the Iranian IRGC (International Revolutionary Guard Corps). Anas Haqqani is presently among the top leadership of the Taliban in Kabul.
During their visits to Kabul, Indian officials have held meetings with various leaders of the Haqqani Network, which is one of the primary factions within the Afghan Taliban. This suggests that India is seeking to establish a relationship with the Taliban despite its historical enmity with the group.
The book’s insights into the Taliban’s relationship with Pakistan and India have important implications for regional security. Pakistan’s support for the Taliban has been a source of tension between the two countries and has led to accusations that Pakistan is backing terrorist groups. India’s attempts to establish a relationship with the Taliban have also been criticized by some analysts who see it as a betrayal of the Afghan people.
Book highlights the importance of understanding the complexities of the Afghan conflict and the relationships between different actors. In conclusion, the close relationship between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military continues to be a matter of concern for regional stability. The recent revelation that the Taliban consulted with General Bajwa before allowing Indian diplomats to return to Kabul highlights the extent to which Pakistan exerts influence over the group. The book “The Return of the Taliban” provides valuable insights into this complex relationship and sheds light on the various factors at play.
Moving forward, it is essential that the international community engages with both Pakistan and the Taliban to ensure that Afghanistan is not used as a pawn in regional power games. As the country faces the daunting task of rebuilding after decades of conflict, it is imperative that all parties work toward a peaceful and stable future for the Afghan people.
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Ultimately, the fate of Afghanistan rests in the hands of its own people. While the Taliban may have gained control of the government, their ability to govern effectively remains to be seen. The international community must continue to support the Afghan people in their efforts to build a democratic and inclusive society and ensure that the gains made over the past two decades are not lost.
The situation in Afghanistan remains fluid, and it is unclear what the future holds for the country. However, one thing is certain: the world must continue to pay close attention to developments in Afghanistan and work towards a peaceful and stable future for the region as a whole.
