Theoratically optimum solution:
1. UNPKF in Afghanistan, with big resources from West and keeping Pakis out of it. (India is the largest contributory to UNPKF generally)
2. Amrullah Saleh as Acting President of Afghanistan, which incidentally ticks all the right boxes with UN, Afghan Constitution. May also include some factions of Taliban in acting government.
*1 & 2 together.
** India is technically centrestage. China Pakis lose.
No thanx.
An UNPKF would have be supplied through Pakistan as US would sulk if India looks at Chabahar for Iran angle. And guess, how many of our boys we will lose to sabotage by Pakis?
Also, this Taliban forces just got a total upgrade of weapon systems. And whatever some fanboys might tell you, Afghanistan has seen enough battles and wars through centuries that the fighters learn the weapon systems pretty quick. The mujaheeds learned to operate stingers and drop Hinds from the sky during 80s. They have learned to operate all kinds of weapon systems to counter Afghan National Army and they will learn to use the whopping $50 billion war cache left behind by the US.
I am sure with India having a great deal of operational experience for anti-terrorist activities, our initial casualties wont be as high as the USA and allied forces faced in Afghanistan. Still, we will face huge losses for little to no gain.
Instead, we should say good luck to Pakistan and China. Trust me, the bed in Afghanistan may seem feathery for Pak and Chini now - it will soon become rather hot. Taliban is not a single entity and it has various groups within itself vying for more power and taking umbrage on slightest of offence. It wont take much to make life of "communist" chinese or "less pure" Pakistanis hell in Sharia Afghanistan.
It is now a game for RA&W, not Indian Army.
