For subscribers
Why is India talking to the Taliban?
The militant group’s reintegration into regional politics was inevitable. New Delhi’s move should be welcomed by the West.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A Taliban security officer in Kabul on May 18, standing guard over sacks of food aid donated by the Indian government.
PHOTO: AFP
Mihir Sharma
Follow topic:
The sole checkpoint between India and Pakistan opened again late last week – for one particular, highly symbolic convoy. More than 150 trucks from Afghanistan, carrying dried fruit and nuts, were allowed into India.
New Delhi had a point it wanted to make. The border was closed after the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir, as anger against Pakistan’s military rulers built in India, concluding in days-long clashes between the two countries in May. But India’s leaders wanted to make it clear that this anger did not extend to the army’s former allies, the Taliban.
