What Yashwant Sinha, Foreign Minister Under AB Vajpayee, Advises On Taliban, Afghan Crisis

Afghanistan Crisis: Yashwant Sinha, who was the Foreign Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, advised the Narendra Modi government that "India should immediately open its embassy in Kabul and send back the Ambassador."

Former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday said India should be "open-minded" about dealing with the Taliban and suggested that it should open its embassy in Kabul and send back the ambassador. Noting that the people of Afghanistan have great love for India while Pakistan is not popular among them, Mr Sinha told news agency PTI in an interview that the Indian government should not conclude that the Taliban will place itself "in Pakistan's lap" as every country furthers its own interests. As a big country, India should approach the issues of the Taliban with a degree of confidence and should not indulge in a "widow's wail" as if Pakistan has taken over Afghanistan or has an advantage over it, he added. That the Taliban now controls most of Afghanistan is a reality, Mr Sinha said, adding that India should adopt "wait and watch" mode and be in no hurry either to recognise or to dismiss its regime.