The annual Taliban offensive is a sign that all parties are back to the drawing board (“Do not ignore the Taliban”, May 5). Keeping India out is an indication that Islamabad wants to have the level of positive influence that India has with other SAARC nations while conveniently forgetting that India too is a victim of the Taliban. Two, the revelation of Mullah Omar’s death was designed to send out a message that Pakistan will not budge even though it is necessary to do so. Three, Pakistan wants the U.S. to have a presence in Afghanistan because the Americans will guarantee weapons to Pakistan in order to ensure that American supply lines are kept intact.
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What is clear is that in spite of Russia, U.S. and China being a part of the QCC, it is Pakistan that is holding Afghanistan and the dialogue process to ransom. As far as India is concerned, it must secretly engage with Afghanistan as a stable country will ensure that India’s development initiatives will help the Afghan people and contain the spread of the Islamic State.
Akshay Viswanathan,Thiruvananthapuram