Need India Be Wary of Afghans and Taliban

 

Geopolitically the pond locked Afghanistan Thas been a hot spot that has dominated political discourse across not just South-Central Asia but globally for the last 52 years. Its borders touch Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Taikastan and China. What has gained eyeballs recently is the souring of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, after September 2024, there have been regular military clashes between the ruling Taliban forces (including its offshoot, TTP) and Pakistani troops, resulting in loss of life on both sides. Indian media and public are delighted that the Taliban are giving Pakistani leadership a tough time, even a bloody nose occasionally Simultaneously, we are seeing a growing proximity between Delhi and Kabul with the bdan Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri meeting Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in the Dubai on Jan 8, 2025 for their first official meeting! Many Indian commentators are quoting Chunaya's statement that "Every neighbouring state is an enemy and the enemy's enemy is a Anand India has been at the receiving end of Pakistan's overt and covert operations and military ggression since independence(First Kashmir War fought in 1947-48 followed by 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars), Pakistani establishment has been trying to 'bleed India through a thousand cute- doctrine given by its dictator Gen Ziaul Haques 88) since 1980s. Pakistan has been justifying this proxy war as a jihad' for destruction of ledia's secular fabric and, the raison deter for its very existence! So, it is kind of soul-satisfying for the Indian public when the Afghans start giving Pakistan a bit of their own medicine! Jingoism apart, our policy planners need to look at the Afghan conundrum very carefully. Afghanistan is often called the graveyard of empires; the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire, the Kushans, Arabs, the Mongols, the Turks, hordes from Central Asia, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led NATO coalition. Afghan invaders like Mehmud of Ghazni (998-1030CE), Mohd Ghori (1173-1206), Ahmed Shah Abdali (1748-67) attacked India multiple times, mostly to loot our resource rich country. Mehmud attacked Somnath Temple 17 times, so, did Mohd Ghori who was defeated several times. Abdali attacked India eight times. So barbaric was his plundering that a Punjabi saying goes" Khadafy peeta laye dabaki Ahmed Shahe da,", loosely translated "Whatever you have eaten and worn(clothes) is yours-rest Ahmed Shah shall snatch from you," Historically, Afghanistan has been a part of several India empires. Mahabharat (5000-7500 BC by conservative estimates) mentions that Queen Gandhari, mother of the Kauravas was from Gandhar (probably a part of south Afghanistan KPK) and the army from Gandhar Kingdom participated in the Mahabharata war. The name Kandahar (Sanskrit) might be linguistically corrupted form of a word Gandhara (Sanskrit which was used between 2000-1700 BCE) Chandragupt Maurya defeated the Greek general Seleucus Nicator in 305 BC and included parts of Afghanistan in his empire. Likewise, the Kushan Empire (30-375 CE) controlled vast parts of Afghanistan. The Gupta Empire (240-579 CE) also controlled Kabul and Gandhara province. Kashmir's Karkota dynasty Emperor Lalitaditya Muktpida's empire (724-761 CE) also included Muktid Kabul and several other parts of modern Afghanistan. For about 365 yrs (665-1026 CE), Kabul was ruled by two Hindu dynasties-Turk Shahis and Hindu Shahis. It is interesting to note that Lohara dynasty Kashmiri King Sangramraja (adopted 'son' of Queen Didda of Kashmir) defeated Mehmud of Ghazni twice (1015 & 1021). In fact, Queen Didda was related to the Hindu Shahi kings of Kabul Afghanistan, over the years, got exposed to various religious philosophies Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and finally Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Empire (1747-1856); it was founded by Ahmed Shah Abdali and included several parts of Indian subcontinent, including Kashmir and parts of Punjab. However, this period also saw the rise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire (1799 -1846). Rangit Singh's rise ensured the decline of Durrani empire (the Indian subcontinent side) - starting with loss of Lahore (1799), Kasur (1807), Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819), Hazara (1820), Peshawar and Khyber Pashtunwali (1834). The modern boundaries of Afghanistan were established by the British in an agreement with Amir Abdur Rehman Khan in 1993 (Durand Line), This was in the context of a rivalry between imperial Britain and tsarist Russia which Rudyard Kipling termed the "Great Game." Afghanistan became a pawn in struggles over political ideology and commercial influence. From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42); the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878- 80) saw a British victory. Following the Third 34 Anglo-Afghan War (1919), Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926. This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, by his own brother-in-law Gen Daud Khan, who declared Afghanistan as a Republic with himself as presidenti Daud's reign lasted till 1978 when he was deposed by a communist led PDPA group Since 1978, Afghanistan has been in a state of continuous internal conflict and foreign interventions Several communist leaders of various shades and tribes followed Nur Mohammad Tamaki. Hafizullah Amin, Babrak Karmal, Mohd Najibullah but nobody could give the country some kind of stability. In Dec 1979, Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan to help their fellow communists. Soviet invasion produced a strong response from the Islamic world and the West, with Pakistan acting as the cat's paw. An army of Afghan volunteers was created, boosted by fighters from several Islamic regions/ countries including Pakistan, Chechnya, Egypt etc. The Mujahideen, as they were called, received massive help from the Saudis and the US (NATO), both in terms of weaponry, training, and cash! In 1994 Pakistan helped create a group of indoctrinated Pashtun students' named Taliban under the leadership of Mullah Omar at Kandhar. After several reversals, Soviets left Afghanistan in Feb 1989. The 10-year war is said to have caused the death of up to 2 million Afghans, and displaced about 6 million people who fled Afghanistan, mainly to Pakistan and Iran. The Soviet-Afghan War had drastic social effects on Afghanistan. Besides introducing the Kalanishkov and drug culture, it ensured shifting of traditional power structure from clergy, community elders, intelligentsia, and military in favour of powerful warlords. Afghanistan became a playground for various warlords and militias. including the dreaded Al-Qaida. By 1996, Taliban were controlling large swaths of Afghanistan but by 2001, US militarily dethroned them. In fact, the three decades of post-Soviet withdrawal (1990- 2021) spelled ruin for Afghanistan. The American forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, facilitating a full control by the Taliban. Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, no country including Pakistan has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan (China is the only exception). However, some countries have given de facto recognition which makes Taliban unctionally recognized by some countries Afghanistan continues to be a playground of armed serror groups, including Al Qaida and ISKand TTP Taliban Track Record: During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban enforced a rigid aerpretation of Sharia (Islamic law), and were dely undemned for massacres against Afghan ans, harsh discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, denial of UN food supplies Instarving civilians, destruction of cultural monuments, banning women from school and most employment, and prohibition of most music In their 2 Innings (post 2021), they have made things even worse for women. In Dec 2024, the Taliban's supreme leader issued an order banning the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas used by Afghan women and saying that existing ones should be blocked because "Seeing women working in kitchers, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts"! In a rather tell tale development, the Ministry of Women's Affairs has been closed and its building is the new home of Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice! George Orwell must indeed be tuming in his grave! Why India should be wary of the Afghans? From whatever the world has seen of Taliban, they are a regressive lot, given to violence; they are unpredictable, cunning, and untrustworthy, as is proven by their treatment of Pakistan-a country that not only acted as the midwife during their creation but nurtured them and gave shelter to their refugees! Their interpretation of the Islamic lines is most rigid and regressive. Afghan society a a deeply fractured lot with multiple ethnicities and deep-rooted suspicions about each other. For the Afghans, the loyalty to their tribe comes before everything else. Who can forget the famous 1975 te of Khan Mohammad Wali Khan, son of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan," I am a six-thousand-year-old Pashtun, a thunesand-year-old Muslim and a twenty- seven-year-old Pakistani Ditto for Tajiks, Shia Hazaras and Uzbeks-every ethnicity has a grudge gainst the other and one never is sure of who shall upset whose apple cart and when! Taliban are primanly Pashtoon and hold the whip currently We have seen the impact of ethnic divisions in the 1990-1996 Afghan civil war. Afghans are fighters who are capable of extreme cruelty. Even today, the tribal, ethnic, and linguistic fault lines are simmering just beneath the surface. With the volatile Pathans one seriously does not know the expect the next moment! We Kashmiris still have bitter memories of the barbaric Pathan rule (1753-1819 CE) Walter Lawrence, a 19th century settlement commissioner of Kashmir, in his book Kashmir Valley has described this period as a fine of brutal tyramy Pathan (Afghan) rulers are only remembered for their brutality and cruelty, and it is said of them that they thought no more of cutting off heads than of plucking flowers. (Sar buridas pesh on sangui dilem gulchidan ast-comment in Faris). Another saying goes as "Pursutam az kharabiye gubhen zi baghtun Afghan kashid guft ki Afgham kharab kard (I enquired of the gardener the cause of the destruction of the garden. Drawing a deep sigh he replied, "It is the Afghans who did it"). Twenty-eight Afghan governors ruled Kashmir during the 67 years of their despotic occupation each one crueller than the previous one Afghans were politically dominant in Kashmir for 67 years. During this time, the Afghans reduced Kashmir to the lowest depths of penury, degradation, and slavery. The destruction of the state was so profound that it is still etched in the memories of Kashmiris. Gen Hamid Gul, Pakistan's ISI Chief and one of the fathers of Taliban had a long-term objective of using these 'trained and indoctrinated fighters for capturing Kashmir for Pakistan. The moment Taliban re-established themselves in Kabul on August 15, 2021, the ISI Chief Gen Faiz Hameed, backed by PM, Imran Taliban Khan Niyazi celebrated because Taliban's rise was seen as a 'potential boon' for Pakistan. That things went in the reverse direction does not mean that equations cannot change once again!An assumption that Afghans will take no interest in Kashmir contradicts the historical understanding of the region. For the Taliban and other militant groups, a call for jihad' is a clarion call that supersedes any other consideration. I was listening to a podcast by Dr Rizwan Ahmed, Lucknow based Islamic scholar and sociopolitical commentator, a few days back. His observation was that India needs to be very cautious, even wary of Taliban. Taliban are and shall remain a terror group. We need to safeguard India's interests- that is all that matters! India has tried to engage Afghans since the time of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Gani-investing heavily in infrastructure, building hospitals, schools, and dams. Indian embassy was attacked in 2008, killing 59 and injuring over 150 people, including Indian citizens. When Taliban returned to power in 2021, India had to wind up its diplomatic missions; in fact, all Indian diplomatic mission buildings at different locations were ransacked by the grateful Talibard As on date, India, like most of the world, has not 'officially recognized Taliban. Let nobody forget that Taliban are a fundamentalist terror organization and they are unlikely to change their spots any day soon! For Taliban and other fundamentalist Islamic groups, India is a kafir country and no amount of secular' mollycoddling shall change that. India tried to help Maldives in every possible manner but we had to face an embarrassing India Out' movement led by President Muizzu himselt in 2024. A bigger embarrassment awaited us in Bangladesh post Auguust 5, 2024 as public arose in one voice in show of anger against India. The attacks on Hindu properties, temples and Hindus living in Bangladesh are an indicator of the venom these jihadis have against Kafir India. Forgotten is India's help in their freedom struggle in 1970-71, the financial and material help extended over last 50 odd years! Therefore, India needs to be cautious in dealings with the Taliban-what they do or do not do against Pakistan should be of little consequence to us. We must safeguard India's interests. Nothing else matters. Muslims of the Indian subcontinent have proven that for them the call to jihad is far more important than anything else. We need to remember our past experiences and learn from those. Realpolitik is a cruel game. Ibn Khaldun, a 14th century Arab scholar, wrote, "The past resembles the future as water resembles water."

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Courtesy:  Sanjeev Munshi and Koshur Samachar-2025, February