Is India going to stop treating Taliban as a terrorist group now?

India's attitude towards Taliban seems to be changing. On Tuesday evening, India's Foreign Ministry said that the Indian Ambassador to Qatar's capital Doha, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Taliban's political office.

However, many believe that contact between India and the Taliban has been going on for the last several months. This is the first time that the Indian government has officially acknowledged that talks have been held with the Taliban. India has said that this has happened at the request of the Taliban.

Many experts believe that getting requests from Taliban and India's acceptance is a changed stance. However, it is also being said that India is cautious about the Taliban.

The Ministry of External Affairs has said that talks have been held with the Taliban regarding security and the return of Indians from Afghanistan. Deepak Mittal told the representative of the Taliban that the land of Afghanistan is not used for anti-India activities, it should be ensured.

140 Indian and Sikh community people are still trapped in Kabul. Have to bring them back. India has been able to bring back 565 people, including 112 Afghan citizens.

The Indian Foreign Ministry has said in its statement that the Taliban representative has assured India that all issues will be viewed in a positive light. The representative of the Taliban (Sher Mohammad Abbas) the Indian ambassador has met, has taken training from the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. Sher Mohammad Abbas said on Saturday that India should maintain political and business ties with Afghanistan.

Earlier, India considered the Taliban a terrorist group. India has also been concerned about the Haqqani group. It is part of Taliban itself. In 2008-09, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy leader of the Taliban, was convicted for the attack on the Indian embassy.

In the last few months, India has said that it is in touch with several groups in Afghanistan. But earlier External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also said that India will not accept the power acquired by power in Afghanistan.

When the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, India had decided to vacate its embassy. According to the report of The Hindu, India has not broken diplomatic relations from Kabul even after the arrival of the Taliban.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the US will look into Afghanistan affairs from Doha in Qatar and India seems to be doing the same. Now the Modi government has started diplomatic dialogue with the Taliban and it seems that after the formation of the government there, recognition can also be given.

In August, the UN Security Council was chaired by India. Everything has happened in Afghanistan in the month of August itself, but India has not taken any tough stand on Taliban.

Although India is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, India's signature was necessary for any resolution to be passed. A resolution was also passed on the last day of India's presidency regarding Afghanistan, but there is not much aggression against the Taliban.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), but senior leader of India's main opposition party and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has targeted the Modi government.

Chidambaram tweeted on Wednesday, "The government is congratulating itself on the resolution passed on Afghanistan at the UNSC on Tuesday. This proposition has two meanings. The first is that the problem has been resolved and India is satisfied with it. The second meaning is that whatever we said on the paper, but there is something else in the proposal. This is what happened on Tuesday at the United Nations Security Council. China, Pakistan and Taliban controlled Afghanistan are a matter of concern for India.

India had close relations with President Ashraf Ghani. Pakistan has always been uncomfortable about this. But President Ashraf Ghani has now left the country. India has invested three billion dollars in different projects in Afghanistan.

Along with this, Afghanistan's Parliament building has also been constructed for 90 million dollars. India has a great reputation in Afghanistan.

At the Afghanistan Conference last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that there is no part of Afghanistan where India is not working on development projects. Jaishankar had said that India is working on development projects in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

The bilateral trade between the two countries was $ 1.5 billion in 2019-2020. India feels that Taliban is a puppet of Pakistan.

It is being said that the arrival of Taliban in Afghanistan is a strategic setback for India. It is also being said that India has been evicted from Afghanistan. In the last 20 years, India had a good image among the people in Afghanistan, but suddenly everything fell apart.

Many also believe that India delayed contact with the Taliban. The Taliban established their political office in Doha in 2013. India's relations with Qatar are also good, but India started talks when it came to power in Afghanistan.

India's concern is also about the Taliban's closeness with the Pakistani army and the intelligence agency there. On the other hand, Pakistan has been accusing India that India is using the land of Afghanistan against it.

Now Taliban is telling Pakistan as its second home and China also stands with Taliban. On the other hand, America has covered the sack-bed and India is in a state of choice. India is feeling that if Afghanistan should not start helping Islamic extremism in India.

When the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, it faced international isolation, but was recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But this time the situation is completely different.

China, Russia and Iran have indicated working with the Taliban. Last month, India's former foreign minister Natwar Singh had said in one of his interviews that if the Taliban acts like a responsible government, then India should be recognized.

But many people are saying that India should not take any step in haste and should remain in the role of spectator for now. But if India has to make its reach in Afghanistan, then right now there is no option but to contact the Taliban. (BBC)