Regional NSAs’ meet in Delhi

It is a tribute to India’s nimble diplomacy as well as its considerable geopolitical weight that New Delhi became the focal point this Wednesday for efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. Less than three months ago, India seemed to be on the ropes over Afghanistan despite its considerable investments in infrastructure and training. South Block’s over-identification with the Ghani regime slotted India with the rest of the West, even though it had no role in the blood and mayhem unleashed in the name of counter-insurgency operations against the Taliban. India’s return into the Afghan game did not, however, begin with the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan.

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As President of the UN Security Council, India began influencing events in Kabul soon after the Taliban takeover. But it has been a hard climb. Pakistan and China have been active spoilers, evident by their no-show at Delhi. Despite their absence, the Delhi Declaration reflects the unanimous view of the participants on critical issues such as an inclusive government; zero-tolerance for terrorism; trafficking of drugs and arms; addressing the humanitarian crisis and providing social space to women. Whether Islamabad wanted it or not, all these consensus points at the Delhi Dialogue have now become a template. They form the basis of discussions at the meeting of the ‘Extended Troika’ comprising the US, Russia, Pakistan and China in Islamabad on Thursday where a Taliban delegation led by its foreign minister has conveniently arrived.

Though Russia, China, the US and Pakistan are the principal players, the collective weight of the five Central Asian countries, Iran and India in influencing events in Afghanistan cannot be ignored. The ethnic groups represented or offered refuge by many participants at the Delhi Dialogue account for over half of Afghanistan’s population. The Pakistan-China duo does not generate trust among these ethnicities as they were instrumental in bringing the Pashtun-dominated Taliban to power. As NSA Ajit Doval put it, this is the time for close cooperation and coordination among the regional countries. Countries need to pool complementarities because the complexities and requirements of Afghanistan need an all-hands-on-deck approach.