Centre urged to not let Afghanistan situation be used for communal polarisation in India

Former Union Ministers, ex-bureaucrats and writers on Wednesday urged the Narendra Modi government not to allow any political party to use the developments in Afghanistan to communally polarise Indian society for electoral gains even as they asked it not to discriminate Afghans on grounds of religion in providing shelter.

In their appeal under the banner 'Indian Friends of Afghanistan', they also wanted the government to continue its engagement with the Taliban, as it welcomed the government’s first official acknowledgement of its engagement with the Taliban in Doha and the positive assurances given by the latter.

The appeal was signed by 11 people, including former Union Ministers K Natwar Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Mani Shankar Aiyar, former civil servants Julio Rebeiro and Najeeb Jung, journalists Vedpratap Vaidik, Saeed Naqvi and Sudheendhra Kulkarni, diplomat K C Singh, activist Sandeep Pandey and lawyer Majeed Memon.

Read | Why India should engage the Taliban

They also asked the government to permit temporary stay to Afghan journalists, artists and civil society leaders who are feeling threatened by the conditions in their country.

Welcoming the "complete withdrawal" of the US troops from Afghanistan, they, however, said, the "unplanned manner of its execution created conditions of avoidable chaos" and "chaotic circumstances" emboldened terrorist groups to kill innocent Afghans and foreigners.

The group said they care for the security, wellbeing and national aspirations of Afghan people because the millennia-old cultural relations between India and Afghanistan are "deep and unbreakable".

In their appeal to the Taliban and other political forces, they said Afghanistan needs an inclusive government that facilitates national reconciliation after four long decades of wars and violence and start an intra-Afghan peace process leading to a democratic governing establishment that ensures that no terrorist organisation has a sanctuary in Afghanistan and that its territory is not used for terrorist and extremist activities targeting any country in the world, near or far.

They also said such a set up should guarantee the safety and security of every Afghan citizen regardless of their ethnicity, ideology or past political background, ensure safety, dignity and rights of women and protect Hindus, Sikhs and other non-Muslim minorities. It should also ensure dignified return of those who were forced to leave their country besides safeguarding and continuation of the developmental projects undertaken by India in Afghanistan.

In their appeal to the international community, they aid no country in the region should be excluded from, nor isolate itself from, collaborative efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan and promote national reconciliation and national reconstruction.

"This requires India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and other countries to evolve and implement a common strategy, in cooperation with the United Nations, USA, EU and other members of the international community," it said.

The international community should immediately provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Afghanistan. All countries should together shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding Afghanistan’s war-damaged economy and creating livelihoods for its people, they said.

"Multilateral regional forums such as SCO (in which both India and Pakistan are members) and SAARC (of which Afghanistan is also a member) should actively work for peace in Afghanistan and stability in South Asia and Central Asia," they added.