Is India exploring options with visa to Taliban leader?

[kseeker]

Is India exploring options with visa to Taliban leader? - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Centre's decision to give a visa to Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef has triggered speculation whether the government is exploring options, keeping in view the chaos that many fear will reign in Afghanistan after withdrawal of the US and NATO troops from the war-ravaged country next year.

"It was a conscious decision to facilitate his visa due to certain considerations," said sources in the ministry of home affairs which was instrumental in the controversial decision, leading many to wonder whether New Delhi is bracing for a situation where it might have to deal with the fundamentalist group which turned Afghanistan into a sanctuary for terrorists and a laboratory for a rigid form of Islam.

MHA sources made it plain that visa for the Taliban leader was not an oversight, emphasizing that the intelligence agencies were very much in the loop.

While the Taliban was considered beyond the pale by the international community post-9/11, its tenacity and the likelihood that it will be factor to reckon with after the pullout of the foreign forces has led the US and other nations to recalibrate their approach towards the bunch.

Zaeef, a close associate of Mullah Omar who headed the Taliban government in Afghanistan before the US invasion in the wake of the terror attack on New York, attended the Think Fest in Goa: a high brow event where Union ministers were also present.

The decision to let him in contrasted with the home ministry's stringent checks on visa applicants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other high-risk countries: a precaution which is extended even to people wishing to visit their relatives here.

Intriguingly, the foreign ministry said it had not been consulted or told about the visit.

WTF is going on ?

Also, Chidambaram meets Taliban cleric | DFI thread

 

[SPIEZ]

This is a New Low even for Kangroos.

Zaeef, a close associate of Mullah Omar who headed the Taliban government in Afghanistan before the US invasion in the wake of the terror attack on New York, attended the Think Fest in Goa: a high brow event where Union ministers were also present.

Source: Is India exploring options with visa to Taliban leader? - The Times of India

P Chidambaram meeting Taliban leaders
Source: BJP slams Congress foreign policy as 'Chidambaram meets Taliban cleric in Goa' - The Times of India

These are exactly the reasons that I don't want Kangroos in power for the next term.

 

[ninja85]

as if they don't have visa already along with aadhar card,ration card and also election card to vote corrupt congress



corrupt congress leaders meets taliban,must asking them to help in election to win



what else anyone should expect from corrupt congress

 

[datguy79]

Zaeef quit the Taliban after the invasion and had been living in protective custody in Kabul till last year. He is far from a contemporary Talib.

 

[drkrn]

Zaeef quit the Taliban after the invasion and had been living in protective custody in Kabul till last year. He is far from a contemporary Talib.

still its highly improper for a non external affairs person to meet a person which could arouse suspicion and controversy at election period.his intention could be good/bad but timing is very bad

 

[Yusuf]

Cross posting from the other thread about what I wrote on my blog

http://sarvatravijay.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/is-india-opening-up-to-taliban/
Is India opening up to Taliban?

Who would have thought India will see a Taliban leader getting a visa to India and sharing a platform with an Indian Union Minister? Well it has happened when Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef was invited for the Think India meet in Goa where Mr P Chidambaram was also present.

Abdul Salam Zaeef was once the Ambassador to Pakistan of Taliban regime. After 9/11, he was handed over by Pakistan to the US and was in Guantanamo Bay prison where he is alleged have to be kept in bad condition and tortured. Mysteriously he was released and found his way back to Kabul then UAE and even Saudi Arabia. He was considered close to Mullah Omar and thought to be a more moderate face of the Taliban. Currently living with heavy protection in Kandahar.

Zaeef has in the past held negotiations with the Saudis although he denies any peace talks ever happened. Zaeef has in the past called for a reconciliation and a unity government and says there can be no peace in Afghanistan without the Taliban being involved.

It is possible that with 2014 US troop withdrawal in sight and with the US looking for all possibilities including dealing with Taliban as seen from the botched Doha plan where Taliban was allowed to open an office,India too could be looking at the possibilities of dealing with Taliban or some fraction within it considering there is a chance of political instability in Afghanistan after Karzai leaves office along with US drawdown.India has invested over $2 billion in Afghanistan and is keen to protect its commercial as well as strategic interests.

Mullah Zaeef probably presents a "good" avenue for India in this regard. He holds bitterness against Pakistan as it handed him over to the US and spent time in Gitmo. Its possible that India views his bitterness against Pakistan and acceptance within the Taliban as a good enough reason to ipen a dialog with him. This is off course a departure from the past as India has opposed any talks with Taliban and said there is nothing like a good Taliban. But considering the geopolitical reality,India may be now looking at the option of giving the Taliban a chance especially with fears within he security establishment that after US withdrawal from Afghanistan,the "victorious" Taliban,unemployed an looking for new "mission" could target India and infiltrate into Kashmir.

Its also possible that India is under US pressure to find ways to deal with the Taliban after the failure of Doha.Zaeef may present a less rigid face of Taliban and not the cocky ones that flew Taliban flags in Doha.

Its possible that the government will deny any talks with Taliban but given the UPA's penchant for track II talks,its possible that India is indeed talking with Taliban. Karzai with whom India has signed a security pact is not going to appreciate this.But given the fact that Zaeef lives in Kandahar, and Karzais own attempts to find peace, its possible that Karzai knows about India's track II talks and possibly has his approval.