Ray Alif

On the lines of recent successful talks between Afghan government and representatives of Taliban, US stared series of sectet meetings with elements loyal to Taliban. White House officially announced on October 8, 2009 that the Taliban posed less of a threat to US security than Al-Qaida Moments later, militants carried out attack near the Indian Embassy at Kabul which took 17 lives and injured more than 60. No doubt, this was the handiwork of anti-India elements. Although the Taliban claimed the responsibility of the attack but whether they Taliban or the CIA, is matter which may analysts still doubts. Whatever, it is certainly a matter of concern for the Indians as they have invested a lot in Afghanistan and are planning to send fresh commandos to assist US.

Daoud Muradian, a senior Adviser in Afghan Foreign Ministry, claimed that the attack could be the handiwork of PakistanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s intelligence agency (ISI). It is strange that Taliban have accepted the responsibility of the blast but still Mr Daoud Muradian blames that ISI is using the Taliban as a tool. Al-Jazeera reported that Daoud Muradian has said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-They use them (the Taliban) against us and leverage against India and blackmail the international community. We face in Afghanistan state sponsored terrorism and that is the ISI of PakistanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ What we face in Afghanistan is a triangle of terror that comprises the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the ISI of Pakistan..ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ It is pertinent to mention here that last year an attack was carried out on Indian Embassy Kabul on July 7, which killed 41 people including an Indian Army brigadier and an intelligence officer, and injured around 150 people.

Mr Daoud Muradian, despite being an Afghan, is probably forgetting that Afghanistan is a Muslim country that respects their centuries old culture, traditions, heritage and above all their religion. How can they allow India to pollute and evilize the Afghan society? One wonders, if Mr Daoud Muradian is really unaware about views of President Hamid Karzai regarding Taliban. Even the US and NATO forces acknowledged that Taliban have formed government in many districts of Afghanistan in consultations with Kabul. It is strange to observe that Taliban have claimed the responsibility for the attack on the Indian Embassy but New Delhi and Kabul are pointing towards another direction.

The rubble of attack near Indian Embassy was not even removed when another powerful bomb blast took place in Khyber Bazaar near the Province Assembly building on October 9 that killed 52 persons and injured over 125. Coinciding with the incident, in the outskirts of the city, another attack was carried out in which six NATO supply tankers were destroyed. A day later on October 10, attack was carried out Pakistan ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s General Headquarters at Rawalpindi with automatic weapons and hand grenades. Any neutral observer would conclude that the incidents at Kabul, Peshawar and Rawalpindi are the handiwork of same elements who do not want that TalibanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s should lead a normal live without being branded as terrorists. General Stanley McChrystal has openly admitted that US is loosing the war in Afghanistan. If there is slightest truth in his statement, what anyone would expect, they cannot get heroic welcome by Afghans on their defeat in Afghanistan? Some Afghans seriously consider that the attack on Indian Embassy at Kabul was not carried out by Taliban but it was done by any one among the Afghan population who is fed up from prolong foreign occupation and Indian cultural invasion.

India never blames Pakistan, when dozen of US soldiers are killed everyday in blasts and encounters in Afghanistan, then why this time? Some analysts claim that the October 9th bomb attacks in Peshawar and one that took place at Rawalpindi were carried out by Indian Intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to avenge attack on Indian Embassy Kabul.

One dimension of the incidents is that the forces which do not want Pakistan and India to normalize their relations have done this so that both the countries would spend remaining months of this year, blaming each other and wasting their energies on ongoing foreign conspiracy.