(Image source from: thehindu.com)

The constant unrest between India and Pakistan is not something new. Addressing these complications, the US envoy to Pakistan suggested India should talk to Taliban militants if they feel it will help bring in peace to the countries. The issue was raised after a series of attacks in Afghanistan, raising questions on whether or not the peace effort from US would collapse.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that an Indian-Taliban engagement would be crucial.

India and Pakistan has gone to war three times since the independence of India in 1947. In the meanwhile, Pakistan has guarded the influence that it has over Taliban.

Islamabad has been consistently hesitant of Indian enhancing their influence over the country over the course of years.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Asad Khan suggested that it is completely India’s decision to respond to the suggestion.

“If India feels that their engagement is going to help the peace process, then we would defer to their judgment. But it’s not for us to sit in judgment on what they should do or they shouldn’t do,” said Khan.

Khan didn’t necessarily clarify whether he was open to the Indian engagement with Taliban or whether Islamabad favoured such a move or not.

But, there have been uncertainties surrounding the acquiescence by Islamabad to an Indian role in Kabul as a sign of the international push for peace from their part.

Khan has further reported that he is going to be speaking with Khalilzad soon instead of relying on the Indian media because they tend to make such cases extremely fanciful and add in their own interpretations to them, which is not something he wants at the moment.

India and Pakistan came close to war last year after a deadly attack that was instigated on the Indian militants in Pulwama. The same resulted in air strikes between the two countries.

Pakistan’s role in the peace treaty between the countries is currently a very delicate one, especially with Islamabad constantly avoiding the demonstration of the kind of extensive influence that it has over Taliban as per the accusations from Washington.

Two attacks on Afghanistan has disrupted the peace push from US. The first attack was done in the maternity ward in Kabul’s hospital that killed 24 people, including two new born babies. Another attack was condemned in a funeral that took place in eastern Afghanistan killing around 32 people.

The United States has accused the Islamic state for the attacks.

Following the attacks, the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered their militants to switch to offensive mode against the Taliban attackers.

By Somapika Dutta