A one-sided accord

India has little to gain from the US-Taliban peace deal

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US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shack hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Feb 29, 2020. Photo: AP/PTI

Business Standard Editorial Comment

3 min read Last Updated : Mar 02 2020 | 11:39 PM IST

The presence of the Indian ambassador to Qatar at the ceremony to seal the US-Taliban peace agreement, which aims to mark the end of 18 years of war, masks the paltry gains that accrue to India from the deal. The two agreements are one-sided and designed to deliver electoral gains for US President Donald Trump without reciprocal conditions on a terrorist group that threatens the security architecture of the region. The agreements set out a path to peace over the next 14 months: They involve a drawdown of US troops from 12,000-14,000 to 8,000 in four and a half months

Topics : Donald Trump UN Security Council Ashraf Ghani Taliban Lashkar-e-Taiba Al Qaeda Pakistan S Jaishankar