Former Diplomats Flag "Strong Pakistani Imprint" On New Afghan Government

Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh said that for a couple of months, India must "just wait and watch"

Terming the new interim government in Afghanistan as "old wine in a new bottle", former Indian diplomats today said the cabinet formed in Kabul has dispelled "myths" of Taliban 2.0, and asserted that it has a strong Pakistani imprint on it which is a "cause of concern" for India. The Taliban yesterday unveiled a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, with key roles being shared by high-profile members of the insurgent group, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, a designated global terrorist of the dreaded Haqqani Network with a USD 10 million US bounty on his head, as the interior minister. Though there are some voices in the government such as Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, named as the deputy to the foreign minister, who has spoken of having friendly ties with India but they are much lower in the pecking order. Former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh, ex-diplomats Meera Shankar, Anil Wadhwa and Vishnu Prakash noted that the new government had extremist elements and India must continue with its "wait and watch" approach going forward.