Editorial: A New Challenge to Our Defence and Diplomacy

In less than twenty four hours, we’re stunned with two shocking news pieces about Taliban. That Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) has given caught Taliban militants the option of either rotting in jail or joining jihad against India and that the suicide bomb explosion outside Indian embassy in Kabul that reportedly killed 12 people was a handiwork of Taliban, as claimed by the militant group according to reports of Al Jazeera.

Only a couple of months ago, when all the Taliban matter became a hot international news with North West Frontier Province Government acquiescing with their demand to enact Shariat law followed by US opposition to the agreement and the resultant military offensive against the militant group, there has been concerns in India that Pakistan could use them against India. They are within a short distance of Kashmir.

With its offensive against Taliban, Islamabad has churned out comparatively better fighters for its fight against India as well as managed finances to further it. New Delhi needs to take the matter with Washington in the light of most recent developments.

Now that things have become absolutely clear and security forces have been alerted for being prepared to foil any infiltration bid of Taliban into Jammu and Kashmir along with a reported batch of 250 to 300 additional jihadis, and that Afghan government and intelligence sources have indicated involvement of foreign hand in Kabul blast as “planned by a state and not a group of bandits” in an apparent reference to Pakistan; India’s responsibility to approach terrorism in a more fruitful way increases.

There’re two aspects government should timely attend to. It has to face the challenge militarily with special commandos and better weapons, for Taliban militants have experience of fighting US forces and are more battle-hardy than any other kind of terrorists Indian forces have faced hitherto. Secondly, the fight has to be equally on the diplomatic level. US has recently passed a bill for a huge financial aid to Pakistan, which as India and even some American experts suspect, Islamabad can use against India.

With its offensive against Taliban, Islamabad has churned out comparatively better fighters for its fight against India as well as managed finances to further it. New Delhi needs to take the matter with Washington in the light of most recent developments. There are higher chances that the US will be interested about where arrested Taliban militants and American funds could go to. For it was interested in eliminating them.