NEW DELHI – Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat Wednesday backed talkswith the Taliban in war-torn Afghanistan, and called for internationalcurbs on regular and social media to counter radicalisation.
Speaking at Raisina Dialogue 2019, a multilateral conference oninternational policy matters, General Rawat on the issue of talks with theTaliban, said any dialogue with the Islamist terrorist organisation shouldinvolve no conditions.
Any concessions, he added, would give the other side the notion that theywere talking from a position of strength and victory.
“There should be talks with Taliban so long as they don’t come withpre-conditions and so long as they are looking at lasting peace inAfghanistan and bring about stability in that country,” he said.
“It is in our interest, region’s interest, and in Pakistan’s interest. Weall want stability,” he added.
General Rawat said Pakistan, was rightly aiming for a favourable situationin Afghanistan, a neighbour with which it shares an over 2,400-km border.
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“Pakistan has always treated Afghanistan as its backyard. They areconcerned about it and, as a military leader, I would say why not beconcerned about their backyard,” he added. “They always want a situation inAfghanistan which is favourable to them. So, even if it implies speaking tothe devil, they will do it.”
Other experts on the stage, like former Pakistani envoy to US HussainHaqqani, as well as some audience members, however, wondered if the Talibancould really be trusted.
Rawat’s comments on talks with the Taliban come at a time when the Indiansecurity forces have intensified operations in Jammu & Kashmir againstterror groups, with 2018 seeing a record number of terrorist kills.
