India to 'wait and watch' with Afghanistan

On Friday, after two days of consultations, India and the United States of America decided to adopt a wait and watch approach, since the Taliban has said that the country would not become a terrorist haven. After his week-long visit to the United States, the Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told journalists, "we have wait and watch policy. It doesn't mean you don't do anything, it means that situation is very fluid on ground, you've to see how it evolves. You've to see whether assurances that have been made publicly are actually maintained on the ground."The Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had previously also noted that the UNSC resolution on Afghanistan that has been adopted, mentions the proscribed entities in the UN sanctions list, including Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.Meanwhile, Pakistan's ISI chief rushed to Kabul amid efforts by Taliban to form a government. This was after the unelected proxies could not establish a structure themselves, and different factions of the Taliban had begun warring over power."Taliban have not won any hearts and minds. They have simply exploited the flawed policy of a fatigued American president — not necessarily the United States itself — and they are being micromanaged by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI," Afghanistan's deposed vice-president Amrullah Saleh said in a comment published in the Daily Mail."It is the Pakistanis who are in charge as effectively a colonial power. But this is not going to last because they and their clients will not be able to erect a functioning economy or create a civil service," he added, alleging the Taliban's spokesperson in Kabul "receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani embassy."These issues may be brought up in the 2+2 dialogue between India and the US in November. A report by TOI says that they are also exploring the idea of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, post a visit to the United Nations in September.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3DREtl4