Developing relations with the Taliban is needed, but plunging headlong into Afghanistan without due thought will be akin to the rooster entering a KFC outlet, warns Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Considerable dismay is generated over Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving an invitation from US President Donald J Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fateh El-Sisi for the Gaza peace summit in Egypt, but sending a minister of state, not even External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
This, despite Modi lauding Trump's Gaza peace plan on multiple occasions, directly communicating this to Trump also, with his tweet in multiple languages to let the world know.
Discounting the bogey of 'short notice', did Modi think he would be embarrassed at the summit, is it linked to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's India visit or does Modi need more preparation time to confront Trump at the next ASEAN Summit (October 26-27) in Malaysia?
How did the United Nations give a 'temporary exemption' from the travel ban to Muttaqi to visit India for a week remains a mystery.
Could this be without the indulgence of America; part of the Great Game the US is playing in the Middle East and South Asia?
Did we ever realise that the date the US handed over Afghanistan on a platter to the Taliban-cum-Pakistan in 2021 was August 15, which was no mere coincidence but a calculated punch on India's nose. Also, that this was consequent to US-Pakistan talks in Qatar.
View this with Modi and Jaishankar personally receiving Qatar's Emir Thani at the airport during his recent India visit.
Muttaqi's India visit, including to the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, where he met Afghan students, drew a sharp reaction from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who says this amounts to supporting human rights violations; conspiring against Gautam Buddha's message of peace and friendship; an insult to women and children by aligning with the Taliban's ultra regressive misogynistic policies against women and children.
But there has been no reaction from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who along with Modi, keep giving the clarion call for Hindutva and a Hindu Rashtra.
Was Muttaqi's Deoband visit aimed at securing Muslim votes in Bihar and West Bengal elections? Was it green-signaled by the RSS?
Muttaqi was part of the Taliban government in power when the then BJP government handed over terrorists, Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Zargar to the Taliban at Kandahar airport post the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999.
Notwithstanding this, the Modi government needs to examine how it would handle the mix of its Hindutva with the Taliban's hardcore Islamic ideology.
The Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan both aim for a global Islamic emirate and the rule of Sharia. ISIS and ISKP are operating in Afghanistan. Taliban supporter al-Qaeda's offshoot AQIS is active in South Asia.
Have we examined how the Hindu and Sikh populations have dwindled in Afghanistan and why?
Afghanistan will continue to be part of the Big Powers play, including China and the US.
Developing relations with the Taliban is needed, but plunging headlong into Afghanistan without due thought will be akin to the rooster entering a KFC outlet.
Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd), PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SC is a former Special Forces officer.
He is a third generation army officer and participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War and in Operation Bluestar.
He commanded a Special Forces Battalion in Sri Lanka, a Brigade on the Siachen Glacier, a Division in Ladakh and a Strike Corps in the South Western Theatre.
These are the general's personal views.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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