TALIBAN TALKS SHOULD HAVE NO RIDERS: RAWAT

NEW DELHI: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat Wednesday endorsed the option of dialogue with the Taliban provided there are no preconditions and the talks are aimed at bringing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Rawat’s remarks came against the backdrop of efforts by Pakistan, the US, Russia and Iran to bring militant group to the negotiating table. However, the Taliban have refused to engage with the government in Kabul. India, which has no contacts with the Taliban, has kept a close watch on developments because of Pakistan’s influence on the militants.

Speaking at a session on countering terrorism at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, Rawat said youngsters in Jammu and Kashmir had been radicalised through disinformation but the terrorist group, Islamic State, was unable to gain a foothold among India’s Muslims because of family values and the work done by security agencies. “When you talk to the terrorists or any organisation of that kind, you have to talk without preconditions,” he said.

This is “because when you start attaching preconditions, then it kind of gives a sense of a notion of victory, that one or the other side is talking from a position of strength or victory,” he said in response to a question on talks with the Taliban.

“There should be talks with the Taliban so long as they do not come out with any preconditions and so long as they are looking at lasting peace in Afghanistan and bringing about stability in that country,” Rawat said.