Defense analyst GJ Singh blames Biden for Kabul’s fall, asks Modi govt to adopt wait-and-watch policy

Bengaluru: Senior defence analyst Commodore (Retd) GJ Singh on Monday blamed US President Joe Biden for the fall of Afghanistan in to the hands of the Taliban and said that the Narendra Modi government should not take any steps hurriedly in this regard.
Commodore Singh said that Biden should have delayed the evacuation of American troops from Afghanistan till the month of November when the weather is not conducive for launching military attacks.
“Joe Biden has made a monumental mistake in the timing of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. He should have delayed the evacuation of his troops till November, when the weather is hostile and that would have acted as a deterrent for the Taliban. This would have helped Afghan defence forces to respond better to Taliban attacks,” he told UNI in an exclusive interview here.
“The weather right now is conducive to launch attacks. This has been taken advantage of by the Taliban,” he added.
Commodore Singh also blamed the Afghanistan regime led by former President Ashraf Ghani for the fall of Kabul. He said, “The country did not make themselves self-sufficient. It should have learnt to stand on its feet and fight the Taliban under their own scheme.”
Commodore Singh also blamed the Pakistan Army for the current situation in Afghanistan, saying that it had guided and directed the Taliban to take over the entire country.
“The hand of Pakistan is evident in the victory of the Taliban. The Pakistan army has not only helped, but guided and directed their victory.
Replying to a query on India’s response to the development in Afghanistan, Commodore Singh said India should adopt a “wait and watch” policy and keep the doors open for deliberations with the Taliban.
“India should wait and watch. We should see how many countries will recognise the Taliban and accordingly keep the doors open for conversations and dialogues,” he said.
Commodore Singh also suggested that the central government should change its earlier stand against Taliban because it has evolved due to the exposure to the international community.
“The reason for India to change its stand against the Taliban is that it is not the same Taliban that was in 1999 to 2001. The very fact that they are sitting at Doha and interacting with America and other countries, means that they know something about international diplomacy. Their vision has broadened in what it was during 1999 to 2001,” he said.
At the same time, Commodore Singh cautioned the central government to strengthen the vigil at LoC because Pakistan would probably take advantage and help terrorists sneak into India from the border areas.
“India has to be very careful because there definitely will be a rise in terrorism because Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is with them and probably Pakistan will try to take advantage of these terrorists and help them to sneak into Kashmir and fight against our armed forces. So, we have to be very careful at the LoC,” he stated.
UNI