NSA Doval's Kabul Trip; No Boots On The Ground, Increased Training Likely: Academic Avinash Paliwal

On talking to the Taliban, Dr Paliwal argued, "it can't  afford to be seen as talking to India. This is a compulsion that any  Taliban leader, whether a military shura or political shura leader,  sitting in Quetta, in Doha will very clearly say, that look, if we start  talking to the Indians openly, we will have a lot of questions and a  lot of costs from the ISI, from Pakistan. That is a compulsion that they  have not really been able to liberate themselves out of. So, I would  see the Taliban openly talking to India as the ultimate litmus test of  their foreign policy independence. If Mullah Baradar comes and says,  officially, we want to talk to India, and will be open to respecting  India's red lines in Afghanistan, sensitivities, its interest, that is  the day, I would say, yes, the movement has matured out of the influence  that it has been under, of the Pakistani security establishment. And  that is one reason, that's one thing which I don't foresee happening at  least for now."

Podcast Producer: Manas R. Tarai