Pakistan backs Taliban; counters India's support for democratic Afghan

New Delhi has sternly refrained from considering militant organisation Afghan Taliban, as a legitimate political actor in Afghnistan, unlike Pakistan. Ever since Taliban's inception in 1990s, Pakistan's foreign policy in Afghanistan has often favoured armed militant group, besides, considered it as a legitimate representative of Afghanistan, instead of democratic government in Kabul.  

Islamabad's Afghan policy has been catapulted to counter New Delhi's influence in Afghanistan, considering India's backing for Kabul government of country, which has brought some democratic rmalcy in war-torn country. Islamabad, moreover, by supporting Taliban has contradicted New Delhi's influence in Afghanistan, that has significantly contributed ecomically, culturally to neighbour, and been largest regional contributor to reconstruction of a war-torn Afghanistan.

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To accentuate furr, according to documents released by whistleblower Julian Assange's WikiLeaks, from hacked personal email account of former CIA director John Brennan, it was confirmed that a threatened Pakistan has been actively maneuvering terror operations as proxies to counter India's growing influence in Kabul. 

"Pakistan's desire to counter India's growing influence in Afghanistan and concerns about US long-term commitments to Afghanistan increase Pakistan's interest in hedging its bets by ensuring that it will be able to have a working relationship with Taliban to balance Indian and Iranian interests if US withdraws," Brennan wrote on vember 7 in 2008.

On contrary, India has consistently backed for an "inclusive peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, leading to a lasting political solution based on preservation of gains" made since US' invasion back in 2001. 

Pakistan's proximity to Taliban comes despite armed group's reluctance towards a democratic process and infamous ideology of oppression towards women. While Islamabad has been keen to play an influential role in US-Taliban peace negotiation, which was abruptly called off by US President Donald Trump, it has never initiated to convince militant group to abandon violent means and initiate a dialogue with democratic Afghan government, to bring a sense of stability in war-torn country.  

India's concern with US-Taliban peace negotiation also involves that it "should t lead to any ungoverned s where terrorists and ir proxies can relocate," thus making Afghanistan a hotbed for terrorism with bonhomie between Pakistan government and Taliban, inducing a direct threat in Kashmir. Even US President Trump has accused Pakistan of “housing very terrorists that we are fighting.”

Taliban 

With assistance of Pakistan, armed group came into existence in 1994 under leadership of Mullah Mohammed Omar.   Taliban chief's bonhomie with 9/11 mastermind, Osama bin Laden enabled him to move Al Qaeda's base of operations in Afghanistan's Kandahar. Palpably, Pakistan's hypocritical stand in favour of Taliban has repeatedly unmasked its endeavors to curb terrorism brimming on ir soil, under eyes of international community and Financial Action Task Force (FATF).  

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