The Taliban headache is keeping the diplomats up at night, and there the only “Excedrin” available is the reintigration of the Taliban in the Kabul government. This gives Delhi’s policy makers a serious case of Migraine.

The invasion of Afghanistan gave Delhi a golden opportunity to open its embassy in Kabul and have a presence in the city after about a decade. However in a classic case of typical over reach, Bharat (aka India) built several “Consulates” along the border and then sent mercenaries to Pakistan to sabotage the government, demoralize the populace and scare the civilians.

Delhi has much experience in this sort of sabotage war–she had used a Police Action to take over Hyderabad, she had used it try to gobble up Kashmir, and she had used in it Sikkim. Delhi had used the same strong arm tactics in 1947 to tell the 560 states that they would be run over if they did not join the so called “Indian Union”.

Delhi had used the same terror tactics in Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The LTTE Tamil Tigers were fully trained, armed and supported by the Indian government as well as the Tamil diaspora. India had used the same tactics in trying to extricate Tibet from China and Chittagong Hill tracks from Bangladesh.

So the RAW agency formed right before 1971 has had some experience in fomenting trouble and exporting sabotage.

While the US, ISAF and NATO were busy trying to chase the hardy “Taliban”, Delhi used the opportunity to try to hammer Pakistan from the Western front.

That was then and this is now.

Strategic Depth: Strength of Pakistan lies in a secure Afghanistan

Proxy war in Afghanistan: Strategic depth vs Strategic clout

In what is causing concern in New Delhi, the focus at the London conference remained on the exit strategy and the reintegration of the Taliban fighters into Afghan society. New Delhi has serious reservations on both these counts. At the conference, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is still struggling to resurrect his political credibility, announced plans for the Talibani reintegration. “We must reach out to all our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers who are not part of al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks,” said Mr Karzai. There were signals that a peace deal could be in offing at some point in the future.

He appealed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to “play a role to guide peace and assist the process”. The Saudis had links with key Taliban leaders and had reportedly brokered talks with the Taliban during Mr Karzai’s first term.

Clearly there are no takers for India’s stand that the distinction between “good” and “bad” Taliban is spurious. New Delhi has been urging caution on the plan to classify the Taliban and pointed out the dangers of integrating fighters who might not have given up the Taliban ideology. Though New Delhi’s reconstruction effort in Afghanistan has attracted attention, the message from India is clearly not hitting the mark. Though India does not want an expanded role in Afghanistan, the current developments are leading to serious introspection. Showing seriousness on engaging Taliban elements, the UN this week removed five top Taliban commanders from its sanctions list. They include former foreign minister Abdul Wakil Muttawakil, former deputy foreign affairs minister Abdul Hakim, former deputy commerce minister Faiz Mohammad Faizan, a former official under the Taliban Shams-us-Safa and Mohammad Musa. Additionally a reconciliation fund has also been created to support the Taliban integration.

Pakistan’s new found confidence is based on a tactical and strategic alliance with Iran, China and Turkey. This is based on guartantees to Iran on the Shias in Iran and confluence of Islamabad-Teheran interests in West Asia.

on Saturday January 16, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran inked a regional pact to confront the Afghan insurgency trilaterally and rejected a British proposal to include countries which were not contiguous to Afghanistan, but agreed to include all those that were, namely Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and China. Washington works the Af-Pak-India triangle By Zahid U Kramet

With the US, NATO and ISAF withdrawing from Afghanistan, and the Taliban returning to power—Delhi faces eviction and reversals. It cannot handle either–because much of its internal cavities are now becoming chasms for all to see. While Shiv Sena the Hitler lover ravage the commerce of Mumbai, the Moas continue to hold 40% of the territory of Bharat (aka India). The Naxals are the biggest threat ot the Union. Assam and the seven sisters don’t want any part of Delhi’s control and Kashmir is open rebellion wanting to join Pakistan. For the Kashmiris freedom means independence from Delhi and the freedom to rejoin their fellow Muslims in Pakistan living with them on the Indus like they have for more than 5000 years.

While the world wanted peace–Bharat (aka India) wants perpetual war in Afghanistan. It will not surprise the world, if RAW tried to create a spectacular Mumbai like event to upset the cart.

Another issue that is raising hackles in New Delhi is the possible role Pakistan could play in the process. Islamabad has quickly offered to mediate in reconciliation talks between the Karzai government and Taliban and said that it is better placed than any other country to support Afghan reintegration.

“Pakistan is perhaps better placed than any other country in the world to support Afghan reintegration and reconciliation. Why? We speak the same language, we have common tribes, a common religion, we have a commonality of history, culture and tradition,” Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a British newspaper. The ISI is reported to maintain links with the Taliban, who use the Pakistan tribal region bordering Afghanistan as a safe haven. Economic Times. India Times. NEW DELHI: With US and its allies energetically backing an engagement with Taliban elements, India will have to rethink on its Afghan strategy.

While China is in the process of setting up bases in Pakistan, the people of Pakistan are busy preparing for the celebrations of the end of occupation in Afghanistan in 2011 or thereabouts.

Pakistan is constructing  a rail system from Islamabad to Istanbul for $20 billion. Roads and rails are being built to connect Islamabad to Dushanbe and Fergana linking up the ECO with a web of physical networks–to suppliment the inner unity.

The inevitable unity of Pakistan and Afghanistan will bring peace to West Asia and the world Once the US leaves Afghanistan in 2011, the ECO (an economic and political union of the all the TANs of Central Asia) will become one of the biggest realities of the world.