The unquiet borders!

Taliban today formalized their government with Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada as their Emir, the Supreme Leader. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is likely to head the government. Sirajuddin Haqqani, Mullah Omar’s son and Mawlawi Muhammad Yaqoub could be in the council of ministers.

The scenario is anything but comforting for India, which seems to be lost in the wilderness from the abrupt departure of the U.S. forces, leaving behind billions of dollars worth of lethal arms. The U.S. has not revealed to the world the reasons for leaving behind the helicopters, drones, stinger missile launchers, and more than 600000 rifles. If there was no time to carry them back, they could have destroyed or neutralized the mean flying machines armed to their teeth.

I am not a government-aided, paid influencer to shout from my rooftop that India can take all adversaries down with full conviction. Pakistan is the true villain, more than the Taliban. Pakistan has aided and abetted the Taliban terrorists during the two decades, despite receiving aid from the U.S. to contain terrorism. China has stepped in, where the U.S. has left a void.

Taliban is an undisciplined, rag-a-tag outfit who had captured power overthrowing a duly elected government by wielding their guns. The public support to the Taliban proves that religion supersedes all other factors. As soon as a government s, those outside the government will start flexing their muscles. The Al-Qaida-Taliban hardliners will target Kashmir, supported without a doubt by China.

Politics makes strange bedfellows, and we may have a Shi’ite Iran and have declared that they will not recognize the Sunni Taliban. The 3.8 crore population of Afghanistan Shi’ite Hazaras may never accept the Taliban as legitimate.

Did the U.S. not know the consequences of deserting the government they supported? Did the U.S. not realize their loss of face as a super-power in the world? The U.S. has handed over a win on a platter to China and Pakistan, leaving all trusted friends of the U.S. in a dilemma.
The Taliban and such similar outfits will now dare to repeat their feat elsewhere in the world, devoid of fear of intervention by the U.S. or its allies.

This leaves China at the top for the moment. The additional cost of defence would drain India’s meagre resources in fortifying our borders and keep a tighter vigil more than ever.

P.s: I Must write a line by a few Indian Muslim leaders like Omar Abdullah and Owaisi, who are demanding that the government must clarify if the Taliban is a terror outfit or not. Surely there cannot be more sinister characters in India. Go ahead, recommend the Taliban for the Nobel Peace prize!

Jai Hind

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix