Former Deputy National Security Advisor SATISH
CHANDRA is among the few Indian diplomats who have been closely tracking developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan for about five decades now. As a young IFS officer of 1965 batch, he supervised the handling of over 93,000 Pakistani PoWs (Prisoners of Wars) during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He was Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan from 1995 to 1998, during which he visited Afghanistan several times and reviewed the progress of India’s infrastructure projects there. From 1989 to 1992, he was Ambassador to the Philippines and was later appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva in 1992 — the period when India had just started liberalising its economy. He was made the first Secretary of the National Security Council when it
‘when it was set up in 1999 and was later made Deputy NSA. Besides representing India at various multilateral fora including the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), WHO (World Health Organisation), ILO (International Labour Organisation), and the UN Human Rights Commission, he has also served as President of the Conference on Disarmament during his assignment in Geneva. In an interview with VIJAY THAKUR, Chandra shared his insights into the fast-paced, dramatic developments roiling Afghanistan. Excerpts:

Q. What does the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan mean for the world?
A. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is a very unfortunate development. It was promoted by Pakistan and facilitated by much of the international community and particularly the USA. Pakistan created the Taliban in the 1990s and has all along provided them with sanctuary, support, and guidance. Their takeover of Afghanistan was clearly masterminded by Pakistan. All countries like the USA, UK, Russia and China which helped create the conditions for the Taliban takeover did so for their own reasons. The US did so because it wanted out of Afghanistan for domestic reasons and many others like Russia and China did so because they wanted to humiliate the USA. The implications of the Taliban takeover will be very serious as it will result in Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for terrorist organisations. Every country, including those that facilitated this process, is at risk of being singed by terrorism emanating from Afghanistan — if not today then tomorrow. Much like terror bred In Pakistan has haunted the world, that bred in Afghanistan will do likewise as in the past. Many countries feel that they can use Afghanistan to promote their agendas. What they fail to appreciate is that terrorism originating there will also hurt them as has happened to Pakistan.

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Q. Don’t you think the manner in which the Taliban captured Kabul in a matter of few days in a lightning blitz and the subsequent American retreat fiasco will boost Islamist militants across the world. What could be its implications for India, especially in Jammu & Kashmir, and Asia?
A. Before addressing your question permit me to state that the manner in which the US dealt with Afghanistan is shameful. First, the US over its two-decade long stay in the country deliberately kept the Afghan Army from emerging as an effective fighting force. This was in deference to the wishes of Pakistan which feared the idea of a strong army on its western front and which would have put paid to its ambitions of dominating Afghanistan. Accordingly the Afghan Army was poorly equipped and trained. It could not function independently and was fully dependent upon the US forces. Second, knowing that they were planning to leave Afghanistan, the US should have prepared the Afghan forces adequately to take care of the situation. They failed to do so and the chaos that followed is there for everyone to see. Finally, the Afghan government was undermined by the USA by the very act of its entering into direct negotiations with the Taliban, a UN-designated terror outfit. But the US did not stop here and pressurised a legitimate, duly-elected Afghan government to make all manner of concessions to the Taliban. No wonder that the Afghan government was demoralised and the Afghan Army did not put up a fight. One may also point out that there is a false narrative that the Taliban beat the US forces and pushed them out of Afghanistan. This is absolutely incorrect, not even a bullet was fired. There was clearly a deal between the USA and Taliban, and the former voluntarily withdrew for domestic reasons. They were least bothered about what would happen to the people in Afghanistan.
As to your question, the implications for India of the Taliban takeover are certainly serious. We must be prepared for efforts launched from a Talibanised Afghanistan to export terror not only into Kashmir but all over India. However, this is not new to us. Pakistan has also done so. Our counter terror grid is strong and I am confident that we can look after ourselves. We must of course always be on the alert and constantly upgrade our anti-terror capabilities. Much more dangerous than the export of terror to India from outside is the fillip that the Taliban success in Afghanistan will give to fundamentalist elements within India. We need to be on the watch in regard to this as well.

Q. A senior Taliban leader recently said that they would like to continue Afghanistan’s ‘cultural, economic, political and trade ties’ with India as in the past and would complete its ongoing infrastructure projects. Should India recognise the Taliban government and continue these relations?
A. As regards our relations with Taliban 2.0, I think a wait and watch policy is the need of the hour. Economic assistance and meaningful economic support should only be accorded if we are convinced on the basis of its action not words that the Taliban will not harm our interests. Over the long term it is not a given that the Taliban will last. For one it is a faction-ridden entity and for another popular ethnically-driven resistance is bound to occur and hobble it. Moreover, sooner or later the Taliban and Pakistan will fall out as Pakistan would like to dominate Afghanistan which will not be palatable to the Taliban. In the near future, however, I believe the Taliban will make an effort to use terror against us as the Taliban 2.0 is no different from Taliban 1.0.

Q. How do Afghanistan’s people see India and its government amid the current crisis?
A. I would say India has emerged as the only principled country which did not do any deal with a terrorist outfit, notably the Taliban. All that has so far been done in this regard is some contacts with the Taliban to facilitate the evacuation of Indians located in Afghanistan. I visited Afghanistan many times in the 1980s. I found that the Afghans were very fond of us. Primarily because all our projects were people-centric, transparent, and were designed to help the Afghan people. We never pushed for anything or had any hidden agenda. This approach has continued over the years and India has projects in every province in the country. According to a recent PEW report, India is the most loved country in Afghanistan.

Q. How do you look at Pakistan’s hand in the Afghan crisis?
A. As stated earlier, the Taliban is a creature of Pakistan which has masterminded its takeover in Afghanistan facilitated by the USA and supported by many other countries like China, Russia, Turkey etc. The Taliban is basically a ragtag collection of terrorists with many internal differences. They have links with many terror organisations like Al-Qaeda, JeM, ISIS, LeT, etc. The Haqqani network, which is an integral part of the Taliban and a veritable arm of the ISI is now in-charge of security in Kabul. I remember, when I was High Commissioner in Pakistan, the then Pakistan Interior Minister admitted that Taliban are their ‘Bache (kids)’. So the Pakistan link with the Taliban is embryonic. They have been supporting and providing shelter to the Taliban since its inception.