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India cautions against conferring legitimacy on Taliban
KV Prasad/TNS

New Delhi, June 21
India today reiterated its support for the reconciliation process in Afghanistan that has the support of the government and its people. It, however, underscored that nothing should be done to confer legitimacy on insurgent groups like the Taliban or create equivalence between the government and insurgent groups.

Amid reports that the United States seeks to open a dialogue with the Taliban that opened an office in Qatar, much to the chagrin of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, New Delhi said it remained committed to supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in accordance with the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement and the reconciliation process that has the support of the people and the government.

“The reconciliation process should not seek to create equivalence between an internationally recognised Government of Afghanistan and insurgent groups; confer legitimacy on insurgent groups; or convey the impression of two competing state authorities for Afghanistan, which could undermine the legitimate Afghan state, Afghan government and the political, social and economic progress witnessed in Afghanistan over the past decade, to which the international community itself has contributed in great measure,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said in response to a question on New Delhi’s reaction.

India, he stressed, had always called for a broad-based “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled” reconciliation process, within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and the internationally accepted red lines.

Expanding on it, the spokesman said such a process would necessarily recognise the centrality of the government of Afghanistan in the process, and involve all sections of the Afghan society, as also the insurgent groups, including the Taliban, who wish to join the mainstream. As for the opening of the office of the Taliban in Qatar and statements made by representatives of that office and others, India said these statements reflected some confusion about the name of the Qatar office, its structure, its political and legal status, and its objectives.

“We have also seen the reaction of the Government of Afghanistan to these developments,” an apparent reference to Afghan President Karzai suspending the security talks with Americans over stationing of US troops in his country after the withdrawal of NATO troops from there next year.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday en route India where he is expected to discuss bilateral and regional issues besides taking part in the London-11 meeting of foreign ministers on situation in Syria, including support to the opposition in that country and efforts to advance a political solution, a US State Department spokesperson said.