Improvement in Indo-Pak ties will improve Af scene: Dobbins

Improvement in Indo-Pak ties will automatically improve the situation in Afghanistan, US Special Af-Pak envoy James Dobbins said today even as he discussed the current state of play in US-Afghan relations and attempts to work towards reconciliation with top officials here.
Dobbins, who arrived here yesterday to brief Indian officials on the proposed talks with Taliban as part of stabilising war-torn Afghanistan, also said there is no prospect of any agreement with Taliban unless they decide on severing ties with all terror groups, including al-Qaeda, a major concern of India.
"In an agreement, they need to improve on cessation of hostilities, respectfully attend the Constitution and go about severing of all ties with al-Qaeda and similar terrorist organisations," he said.

Dobbins, who flew-in here after visiting Kabul and Islamabad, also said, "Any improvement in Indo-Pak ties will almost automatically improve the Afghanistan situation."
After his two-day official engagements which included meeting with Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai yesterday, official sources here said the discussions "focused on current state of play in US-Afghan relations and attempts to work towards reconciliation".
Dobbins also met India's Special envoy on Afghanistan S K Lambah.

"They also discussed importance of continued Indo-US consultations on Afghanistan, and preparations for India- Afghanistan-US trilateral," a source said.
The visit comes a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry's three-day official visit for the India-US Strategic Dialogue.

During the dialogue, Kerry had assured India that its concerns over Taliban insurgents gaining legitimacy without severing their terror links will not be "overlooked or undermined" during the talks with the Islamic fundamentalist group.