Taliban should have no role, says PM

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 30. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said India was making strenuous efforts to promote a broad- based post-conflict government in Afghanistan in which the Taliban did not have any role.

In his meeting with leaders of political parties here today, Mr. Vajpayee said he had written letters to heads of 12 countries on October 27 conveying to them New Delhi's priorities vis-a-vis Afghanistan in a post-conflict dispensation.

The Opposition expressed concern over casualties to innocent civilians and aid workers. The Congress party urged the Government to be vigilant and prevent communal flare ups in the country while the move by the Vajpayee Government to bring in a new terrorist law, the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) came under sharp attack.

Mr. Vajpayee said India visualised a broad-based government with equitable representation of different ethnic and religious groups which was acceptable to the people of Afghanistan. The first priority of such a post-war government should be to reconstruct and rebuild the country.

Briefing correspondents, the Union Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, said the Prime Minister informed the Opposition leaders that India was of the firm opinion that the Taliban should have no place in a future government since there was nothing like moderate or hardline Taliban and it was difficult to distinguish them as such.

Mr. Vajpayee said that while no one could say with certainty as to how long the war in Afghanistan would continue, the present operations had destroyed the Taliban's air power but not much damage appeared to have been inflicted on its ground strength.

On humanitarian grounds, India has already pledged 10 lakh tonnes of wheat and medicines and more could be given as per requirement. The only uncertainty was whether or not it was reaching those in need of it.

Mr. Mahajan said the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, told the leaders that the Government was in agreement with the Opposition's strong views that the war was not to be seen as a clash of civilisation or religion much less against Islam or Muslims. Similarly, he said, the Government shared the concern that innocent civilians and aid workers were harmed in the course of these attacks.

Mr. Jaswant Singh told the meeting that India had conveyed New Delhi's views to the United States and Britain urging them to exercise utmost care in carrying out the attacks.

The External Affairs Minister also clarified that India was in touch with not just the big nations but countries within the Non- Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth, Africa and Asia. He admitted that while this may not have received wide publicity, India was also in regular touch with the U.N. Secretary-General and his special envoy in Afghanistan.

In his conclusive remarks, the Prime Minister expressed concern over the sporadic incidents of violence in Malegoan and others areas stating that these were warning signals.

Mr. Mahajan said the Opposition did raise the issue of Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, while there was no reference either on the possibility of a meeting between Mr. Vajpayee and the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, or to the safety of nuclear weapons there.

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