The swift fall of the Afghan government with barely any resistance against the Taliban appears to have caught the Indian government completely off guard raising question marks over the reliability of India’s intelligence agencies, their leadership and the competence of those at the helm of affairs including that of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The country now faces the daunting task of having to evacuate its citizens, many of whom went there for employment during peacetime, and now need to be evacuated in perilous circumstances. Rather than relying on its own strengths, India seems to have walked blindly into a trap set by the USA which despite knowing the risks chose to withdraw anyway from Afghanistan leaving friends and allies like India in the lurch.
Rather than using its opportunity to assert itself and flex muscle within Afghanistan and gain a foothold in a region that is crucial strategically, India has chosen to dilly-dally and has now squandered all the influence it has held in Afghanistan with the current Taliban establishment clearly more leaning towards Pakistan in the power equations that are now to emerge.
The Indian leadership has chosen to blindly trust the USA despite knowing its past failing and serious questions need to be asked of the Indian diplomatic and security establishment for their failures. India has paid the price for thinking of the USA as its ‘friend’ and is now counting the cost.
Nonetheless, the focus now has shifted onto the humanitarian crisis that has emerged in Afghanistan amid the worsening situation in which thousands of foreign nationals and more importantly those who aided the previous regime now eager to flee the country as the Taliban has begun to search homes for those whom they consider as traitors for aiding the previous regime.
India has taken an encouraging first step in the form of extending an emergency visa especially for Afghan citizens seeking to escape but how many of them will be able to avail of it remains a huge question. And even if they do avail of the visa, whether they will be able to safely reach the airport and evacuate from there also remains a question. The country needs to do more to help evacuate its citizens and in general help assuage the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.
We as Indians need to open our space and hearts to the people of Afghanistan and make space to welcome refugees irrespective of any religious affiliation. Every person whose life is in genuine danger under the Taliban especially if they have been of help or an employee of India-led missions in Afghanistan needs to be evacuated simply as gratitude for help rendered in the past. It’s a humanitarian issue now and not a political one.
In the present situation India needs to stand firm in asking the Taliban to ensure that anyone who has valid travel documents to India is allowed access to the airport. And when the political situation does change, as it might in the future, India stands to gain a valuable ally in the region provided it is willing to seize the opportunity. The time to be more proactive is now.
