Publication

New Delhi, in recent times, has been confronted with some hard choices in Afghanistan. A decade-long policy of providing huge humanitarian and developmental assistance, which has accrued tremendous goodwill among the Afghans, is now perceived to be in imminent danger of being disrupted and overwhelmed by the United States (US) decision of conditional withdrawal. This is in addition to the recently shifting discourse of negotiating with the Taliban, which is interpreted as an upsurge of Pakistani influence in Kabul. The choice for India was never whether it should stay engaged in Afghanistan or not. Even in the face of repeated onslaughts on its personnel and mission, India was committed to staying the course. However, decision making to that extent has become even more difficult given that the West appears to be in a hurry to bring its ominous gamble in Afghanistan to a close.