India 'consciously' granted visa to former Taliban leader: Report

Indian foreign ministry has claimed that it was not consulted about the visit of the Taliban leader.


Web Desk November 13, 2013
Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef, a close associate of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, attended the Think Fest in Goa: a high brow event where Union ministers were also present.

NEW DELHI: India’s decision to grant visa to the Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zareef has triggered the speculation that whether Indian government is exploring its options in Afghanistan in the post US and NATO withdrawal scenario in 2014, Times of India reported.

"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.

The decision by the Indian government has led many to believe that it is considering talking to the fundamentalist group in the near future.

According to the source in the home ministry, the decision to grant Mullah Zareef visa was not an oversight and the intelligence agencies were very much in the loop.

Zaeef, a close associate of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, attended the Think Fest in Goa: a high brow event where Indian ministers were also present.

Indian foreign ministry though claimed that it was not consulted about the visit of the Taliban leader.

The peace process has stalled after Pakistan had released former Taliban commander Mullah Baradar but have kept him under watch, which the Taliban claimed had discouraged them from making contact and kick-starting talks.

Pakistan had released Mullah Baradar in September on the insistence of Kabul. Pakistan has repeatedly said it supports an Afghan led, Afghan owned peace process in the war torn country.

COMMENTS (31)

Last Word | 10 years ago | Reply

There is nothing wrong if India engages Afghan Taliban as it is only doing development work in Afghanistan and interested in exploration which can boost country's economy. Moreover, most of the Afghanis love India which Taliban can ill afford to overlook. However, it may cause a great heart burn to Pakistan especially its military who are in for a surprise as both Talibans are likely to combine to impose Sharia in Pakistan which would create unprecedented violence in the country.

Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan | 10 years ago | Reply

@Khan Lala: It is indeed interesting to see the U-turn in both the American and Indian rhetoric recently. It is hard to believe that this is the same group which they maligned so much in 2001 as the enemy of all civilization as we know it.

India's persistent anti-Pukhtoon policies in Afghanistan have caught the eyes of everyone, esp the Taliban. They are not so easy to buy like the TTP, BLA, and MQM, along with India's other terrorist proxies which it is using against Pakistan and Pakistani civilians.

Pakistan's assessment of the whole failed Afghan adventure has proven right, to the letter. The Taliban have emerged stronger, more entrenched in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's proxy government is already falling to pieces, before the foreign invaders have even left. The US has completely failed to accomplish any of its goals, and have damaged their economy, military, and international prestige in the process. India has used the war against Afghanistan to gain a foothold (no matter how fleeting) to use to launch bomb attacks against Pakistan's economy and civilian infrastructure.

By and large, the major victims of this war have been Pukhtoons, on both sides of the border, who are bearing the brunt of ethnic genocide in Afghanistan, and proxy bomb attacks by anti-Pakistan forces in Pakistan.

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