Narayanan

New Delhi, Oct. 3: National security adviser M.K. Narayanan flew into Kabul on a secret mission for an insight into the deteriorating security situation in the region.

The trip came a few hours after Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai startled the world by offering to talk to the Taliban.

The stated purpose of Narayanan’s visit was to take up the long-pending strategic dialogue with his counterpart, Zalmay Rassoul. But Narayanan, fresh from visits to Russia and China, perhaps wanted to assess the great power play again underway in Kabul, sources said.

In New York, even as Narayanan was meeting the leadership in Kabul, foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee gave vent to India’s nervous concern at the Taliban’s success in striking at will, almost on a daily basis, even in the heart of Kabul.

Mukherjee conceded that Pakistan was succeeding where Nato-led forces had failed since they entered Kabul in the aftermath of 9/11.

“If the Taliban are not kept in check, there is a danger that the efforts of the international community will be seriously jeopardised,’’ Mukherjee said, pointing out that Pakistan played a key role in controlling the Taliban.

The Taliban resurgence, on both sides of the Durand line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has wrecked the best-laid plans of the western reconstruction effort. Ironically, it has strengthened Pervez Musharraf’s hand in the middle of repeated onslaughts by the pro-democracy judiciary at home.

Karzai has offered to talk to Taliban chief Mullah Omar as well as warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to the chagrin of the Americans, inviting them to join his government. The Taliban have virtually rejected the offer, saying that all foreign troops must first leave Afghanistan.

The Indian foreign office has been debating over the past year whether Delhi should also make some gestures to the Pashtun Taliban groups, making a distinction between them and the Arabic-speaking al Qaida formations.

Significantly, Karzai has made the same distinction in his talks offer. He has said that he will speak to the “Afghan Taliban” — led by Mullah Omar — but not to al Qaida.