Who Are Taliban Why Some Countries Including India Are Talking To Them Now

The dreaded Taliban are making a comeback in Afghanistan. They are recapturing the territories controlled by the foreign and Afghan forces and announcing their arrival with massive firepower. To their credit, they have withstood almost two decades of war against the mighty NATO forces helped by the Afghan fighters in the streets, caves and the mountains.

As the US decided to exit Afghanistan and abandon the Afghan government and its security forces, Taliban – who were always threatening to return to power once foreign forces leave – are virtually standing at the gates of Kabul with a mischievous grin on their face. It seems to suggest that they are giving only two options to the Afghan government and its supporters – run away or get gunned down.

Who are these people? How could they survive deadly aerial and ground attacks by the foreign forces? What kind of a state do the Taliban wish to establish in Afghanistan? Why are many countries talking to them now? Let’s try to understand what the Taliban are all about.

Who are Taliban?
Dismissing Taliban just as an extremist group would be a flimsy job. Researchers, over the years, have seldom tried to go beyond the superficial analysis of Taliban as a gang of fighters depending on Soviet Union era arms and opium smuggling to maintain their supremacy. There is much more to the Taliban than that. There is commitment derived from a particular interpretation of religion; there is pride, which is a common feature among all Afghan groups; there is self-belief that has made them arguably even stronger than what they were twenty years ago and there is confidence to stick to their demands on the negotiating table.

AFP

By definition, Taliban (sing. Talib) is a group of students. They were one of the many groups that emerged in Afghanistan in the early 1990s after the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Despite the exit of foreign forces, bloodshed continued in many provinces in Afghanistan and many warlords fought for supremacy in their areas of influence.

Taliban were initially mainly from Pashtun speaking groups. They are the followers of Sunni Islam and most of them are trained for theology in Madrasas or Islamic seminaries. For them, the way of living should be in accordance to their interpretation of Islam, which is different from other groups living in Afghanistan and the Muslims living in other parts of the world.

Their interpretation of Islam is quite strict and does not include the changing social reality. Their social, political as well as economic system is arguably based on the Islamic principles. Several contemporary Islamic scholars have raised their concerns against such an understanding of religion and have called it counter productive to the global image of Islam.

AFP

Taliban support strict punishments like public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers, and amputations for those found guilty of theft. During their previous regime, men were required to grow beards and women had to wear the all-covering burqa. Many Muslim majority countries do not have these rules in place anymore. Some of the countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have certain Sharia-based laws, have also denounced the Taliban’s way of life.

In 2001, the Taliban even destroyed centuries of Budhha’s ancient sandstone carving despite huge outcry across the world. Several Islamic scholars across the world condemned their act of blowing up the Budhha statue. Their opposition to schools for girls above 10 years, banning of music and several other human rights violations made them a detestable bunch of fanatics.

Why Are Afghans Worried?
Majority of Afghan, educated and living in the cities are worried. Many of them had taken a sigh of relief and were imagining a new Afghanistan without a threat of Taliban. They now fear that the Taliban will once again destroy the country. There will be bloodshed once again as Taliban would possibly target the supporters of the democratically chosen Afghan government and the foreign forces that were trying to maintain peace.

AFP

Those who have seen the horrors of the time when Taliban ruled previously will not be able to trust the Taliban ever. They had high hopes from the international intervention. They were probably thinking that the forces would stay there, at least in the cities to ensure a certain degree of freedom to the Afghan nationals. But the US decision to pull out has left many Afghans disappointed.

They know that the local forces can’t save them. Afghan soldiers are running away to the neighbouring countries for safety. Yesterday, as many as 1,000 soldiers reportedly fled to Tajikistan, seeking safety from the Taliban. Under these circumstances, restoring confidence in the hearts and minds of the Afghans is the most difficult task. Their fear is justified. The Taliban 2.0 have only hinted that they are ready to make some concessions, but their words lack clarity.

Reuters

Meanwhile, there is a section of Afghans who are ready to take on the Taliban. They have announced their support for the Afghan forces are volunteered to fight alongside them. This, in a way, hints towards the possibility of a civil war that may erupt in Afghanistan any time after the foreign forces leave.

Why Are Some Countries Talking To Taliban?
After US President Joe Biden decided that all the American soldiers will leave Afghanistan by September 2021, the international community seems to have understood that the Taliban should be accepted as a reality in Afghanistan. Many countries may not recognise any Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, however, they might be interested to know who is ruling there.

Diplomacy has its own rules and it works for the future. During the Afghan peace talks many countries were invited. They are looking forward to a written peace plan by the Taliban. If the Taliban are able to present a somewhat acceptable plan, then several countries are expected to exchange envoys with the new establishment in Afghanistan.

AFP

There are reports that India is also trying to reach out to Taliban so that it does not feel left out in one of the major developments in South Asia. India has helped Afghanistan in building a lot of infrastructure. Thousands of Afghan refugees are living in many Indian cities. India offers the home ground to the Afghan national cricket team. In addition to this, India has invested millions of rupees in Afghanistan on various development projects.

Keeping all this in mind, India would like to make sure that it remains relevant in the transformation of Afghanistan. Moreover, if entities like The Taliban come to power, India should be seen as a neighbour who can offer help on many counts. Therefore, keeping the future in mind, India’s ministry of external affairs seems to understand that a dialogue with the Taliban is not going to cause any harm – particularly at a time when the so-called superpowers of the world have left the countries to take their own call on Afghanistan.