astonishing: india and pakistan speak as one on the desirability of a taliban-run afghanistan!

astonishing: india and pakistan speak as one on the desirability of a taliban-run afghanistan!: "

may 29th, 2011 CE

i guess the next thing the UPA will be announcing is a complete meeting of minds on kashmir too as far as the ISI and the UPA are concerned.

india's policy in the past has been consistent: to always oppose those who support the pakistani pipe-dream of 'strategic depth' by making afghanistan a colony. this has meant supporting the erstwhile northern alliance, in particular ahmed shah massoud and his tajik panjshiris.

now that has been discarded. china is entrenched in PoK. india will support the likes of mullah omar, jalaluddin haqqani, and gulbuddin hekmatyar.

nice going indeed.

positive signs, my foot. it only means that obama has changed his afghan policy from 'declare victory, outsource the region to the ISI, run like hell' to 'declare victory, outsource the region to the ISI and china, run like hell'

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: B

WaPo, 26/5/2011

Positive Signs in Afghanistan

By David Ignatius

WASHINGTON -- The "fighting season" has started in Afghanistan, with deadly attacks almost every day. But at the same time, diplomats see what one calls "hopeful signs" that a regional framework for peace talks with the Taliban may slowly be emerging.

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A second positive trend is that India and Pakistan are speaking in similar language about their support for an Afghan-led negotiated settlement. An important signal came from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a May 13 speech in Kabul. He endorsed President Hamid Karzai's "process of national reconciliation" and said India "will respect the choices you make."

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir used similar language Monday when he backed an "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" peace process. He was echoing comments made in Kabul in April by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the army chief. Indeed, on paper, there's little difference between the Indian, Pakistani and American positions supporting a negotiation that concludes with a Taliban agreement to renounce violence, reject al-Qaeda and support the Afghan constitution.

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Singh's speech in Kabul got relatively little attention in the Western press. But diplomats noted this passage: "We hope that Afghanistan will be able to build a framework of regional cooperation that will help its nation-building efforts." That hope is shared by Marc Grossman, the new U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who has been pushing for a "diplomatic surge" on various fronts.

A third positive trend is on the battlefield itself. The U.S.-led coalition entered this fighting season having cleared several major Taliban strongholds in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, providing more leverage. There's some independent evidence that the Taliban is feeling the pressure.