Login With Google
Experts raise concerns for India over U.S.-Taliban agreement
Why in news?
- New Delhi has signalled its acceptance of the U.S.-Taliban and U.S.-Afghanistan peace agreements in Doha and Kabul that aim to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan, by sending envoys to witness them.
More in news
- Name of the Two Agreements:
(1) Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognised by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban, & the USA.
(2) Joint Declaration between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan
- Concerns as per Experts
(1) Texts of the two agreements: impact on India may be a cause for worry for the government.
(2) Terms still nebulous: Actual terms of the ‘peace deal’ are yet to be negotiated between Taliban & Afghan side, facilitated by USA.
(3) Agreement is “entirely one-sided”:
- Taliban cannot deliver on the assurances it has given, yet the S. has handed over Afghanistan to them without any reference to the Constitution, rule of law, democracy & elections.
- Does the term “U.S. and Allies” include India?
- In the Doha agreement, the Taliban has guaranteed “enforcement mechanisms that will prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies”
(1) However, it is unclear whether India, which is not a U.S. ally, is included in this definition, & whether Pakistan-backed groups that threaten India would still operate in Afghanistan
(2) Kabul declaration, commits to stopping “any international terrorist groups or individuals, including al-Qa’ida and ISIS-K, from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of USA, its allies and other countries.”
(3) Impact of prisoner release and lifting sanctions: 5,000 Taliban prisoners will be released & U.S. has committed to taking Taliban leaders off the UNSC’s sanctions list, which could considerably bring down the number of terrorists Pakistan is accused of harbouring, according to the FATF greylist conditions. This might benefit Pakistan during the June 2020 FATF Plenary, when it faces a blacklist for not complying.
Sources
The Hindu