India differs with UK on ‘backing’ Taliban | Economic Times

India that has twice in two weeks raised the issue of legitimacy of the dispensation that governs Kabul in future is aware of the British defence minister’s attempts to give legitimacy to the Taliban if it is rehabilitated to power. But New Delhi differs with the British proposition, as the foreign minister sought to build partnerships in Central Asia and with Russia and Iran for a peacefully negotiated settlement that leads to a stable Afghanistan. While India did not raise its objection to the British proposition in public domain, the issue of a good Taliban and a bad Taliban has figured in bilateral talks between India and the UK, ET has learnt. Experts on India’s Af-Pak region and British policies on Afghanistan told ET that the UK backs Pakistan’s position on the issue and India has differences with the UK government on the matter. “We are aware of the British position and have taken note of what the defence minister stated,” a source said.It is a well-known fact that the UK, particularly its army, maintains close ties with Pakistan and feels that Islamabad can safeguard its interests in the Af-Pak region. Britain will work with the Taliban should they enter the government in Afghanistan, British defence minister Ben Wallace told the Daily Telegraph in an interview published on Tuesday.Meanwhile, on the eve of the Central-South Asia connectivity meet, Jaishankar met US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and US deputy national security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. The issue of US pull-out and US support to the Afghan government to fight terrorists, and the future of Afghanistan, are understood to have figured in the talks.