Plan to prop up Taliban rivals

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 22. Visualising a key role for the Taliban opposition in a global campaign against terrorism, India, Russia and Iran have activated their consultations on ways to bring stability to Afghanistan.

According to highly-placed Government sources, the three countries are keen on jointly promoting the Northern Alliance, which is battling the Taliban, chief benefactor of international terrorism, headquartered in Afghanistan. They feel that a revived Northern Alliance, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, should spearhead the military assault on Taliban strongholds in Kandahar, Kabul and Jalalabad. The opportunity is there, as Taliban's strength is likely to be sapped soon.

Anticipating the ouster of the Taliban, leaders of India, Russia and Iran are engaged in hectic consultations on forging a stable alternative in Afghanistan. Such an arrangement, they feel, should not only be central in rooting out international terrorism, but also for protecting their own national interests.

Not surprisingly, a post-Taliban arrangement in Afghanistan was the focal point of discussion between the National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, and his Russian counterpart, Mr. Vladimir Rushailo, during his visit to Moscow last week. A discussion on Afghanistan also featured in the telephonic conversation between the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, and Mr. Jaswant Singh, on Sunday last. So was the case with Iran, when Mr. Singh spoke to his counterpart, Mr. Kamal Kharrazi. The Russian Ambassador to India, Mr. Alexander Kadakin, also met the Foreign Secretary, Ms. Chokila Iyer, on Friday.

All the three countries are veering round to the view that an indiscriminate campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan is not in their best interests. Such a campaign, they feel, will flood them with refugees. India is apprehensive that the inflow of Afghans in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the Northern Areas may translate into enhanced militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

As international diplomacy gets into high gear, the key now lies in convincing the U.S. to back the Northern Alliance as a Trojan horse in the anti-terrorist campaign.

The necessity of getting Washington on board is likely to be one of the prominent issues which Mr. Mishra will discuss with his U.S. counterpart, Ms. Condoleeza Rice, as would Mr. Jaswant Singh with the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, on October 2.

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