New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will be arriving India on a two-day visit from July 27 and the two sides would take up among other things issues concerning Afghanistan and matters related to the Indo-Pacific region.
"This is Secretary Blinken's first visit to India after assuming charge as US Secretary of State," an MEA release said adding Secretary Blinken's visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership.
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Discussions between two strategic partners will focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest –including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan and cooperation in the UN.
India has already flagged off concern about the growing tension in Afghanistan as the Taliban is gaining ground by use of violence. In all these, things appear quite complex as Afghanistan has also repeatedly targeted Pakstan saying its military generals are allegedly helping the Taliban.
On 28 July, the Secretary of State will meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
"Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relations, and potential for consolidating them further," it said.
The visit of Blinken is crucial as it coincides with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban gaining ground by use of force and violence.
Mr Blinken last visited India as deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration in December 2015. The state department said Blinken will hold discussions on “a wide range of issues including continued cooperation on Covid-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and addressing the climate crisis”.
Secretary of Defence, Lloyd J Austin, in March this year was the first top US executive under new President Joe Biden to visit India.
"Cooperation among like minded countries is imperative to securing our shared vision for the future. Despite today's challenging security environment, the partnership between the United States and India, the world's two largest democracies, remain resilient and strong", Austin had said.
At the SCO foreign ministers meet at Dushanbe in Tajikistan, External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar has said that a Taliban regime that would come to power in war-devastated Afghanistan and its capital Kabul "by violence and force" would not be considered a legitimate dispensation.
‘Brains’ behind Taliban are in Pakistan: Afghan NSA Hamdullah Mohib
New Delhi: Afghanistan has yet again eloquently alleged that it is Pakistan which is standing as a principal supporting force 'behind' the Taliban and went on to add that in effect it is a "proxy war" and the "brains of management" are in Pakistan.
"We think, yes, it is the Taliban doing the work ...but it is a proxy war.
Taliban may be the army...but the brains of management (are in Pakistan)," Afghanistan's National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib told BBC in its HardTalk programme on Friday.
To a question, he went on to say that the only help Pakistan "can provide (in fighting against Taliban as of now) is not to support the Taliban”.
Mohib said, "Taliban have had safe havens in Pakistan" and the Pakistanis have not denied this openly that Taliban leaders are living in their country.
"They are provided with health care for the injured ....," he said adding ammunition is also supplied.
On Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent statement that the US withdrawal of forces has resulted in boosting Taliban's military prospects, he said,
"The US announced the withdrawal this year, whereas Taliban have had safe havens in Pakistan for the last 20 years".
“I am not sure whether Prime Minister Imran Khan is really the person who has any control over this”, he remarked adding, there is military establishment that have control over their policy towards Afghanistan.
To a question whether Jihadists 'coming over' into Afghanistan from Pakistan could have been stopped by Islamabad, he said “absolutely”.
Answering questions he said the Taliban have no legitimacy to push the line that they are fighting for Muslims and cause of Islam.
"There is already an Islamic system in Afghanistan, it is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan we have .....The war in Afghanistan has no religious legitimacy," Mohib said.
“There is no religious ground for the Taliban to stand on anymore. What they are doing is killing Muslims.
They are killing the fellow Afghans, they are destroying Afghan property
And to give it a religious flavour or spin is just not acceptable," the NSA asserted.
He said in the given situation, authorities in Pakistan can help Afghanistan by putting an end to providing "support" to the Taliban. "...it does not require their military to be engaged”. (in fighting Taliban)
He also said at times, Pakistani leaders make good statements about improving ties with Afghanistan but these are hardly convincing.
"We have had good words from some Pakistani leaders ...but their military and particularly the intelligence agency (ISI) continues to act as the spoiler of peace," Mohib said.
He said as of now post US withdrawal any of the three scenarios can happen in Afghanistan.
"One, we get into a military stalemate for a long time and the Afghan people will continue to suffer Second, perhaps Afghanistan gets fractured and civil war ensues; and the third scenario and desirable scenario is we enter into negotiations," he said.
However, he said in the past the Taliban have not been sincere about negotiations but rather made use of the talks to push their own agenda of warfare.
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