GCTC organised a webinar titled, “India Afghanistan Relations; Road to Peace” that delved into the state of affairs in the region while maintaining a special focus on core topics. The webinar was spaced over two macro sessions preceded by an Inaugural Session wherein Dr. Kanwal Sibal (Chairperson of Advisory Board of GCTC) presented the welcome address. The Webinar was further divided into seven sessions focusing primarily on key important elements including developmental, economic, and social sector challenges in Afghanistan, the role played by India in the Afghan Peace Process, roles played by other stakeholders in the Afghan Peace Process.
The first session was moderated by Lt. Gen. K.J. Singh and hosted a plethora of exemplary speakers like Mr. Shakti Sinha, Dr. Ali Najafi, Ashok Khurana and researcher Shanthie D’Souza; highlighted the difficulties in the development in Afghanistan. Then the speakers addressed the various developmental projects undertaken by the Afghani Government and Indian stakeholders.
The second session was moderated by Lt. Gen. Shokin Chauhan, Executive Council Member, GCTC. He conducted an informative session with the help of a distinguished panel comprising of Amb. Suresh K Goel, Dr. Anwesha Gosh and a Minister from the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan joined the discussion. The panel discussed the various problems faced by Afghani students in the nation. The security threats to students and backward attitudes towards women were explored. Curriculum and infrastructure problems for educational institutions in Afghanistan were seen as a major setback in the education sector of Afghanistan.
The third session was moderated by Anita Gupta, a well-known expert in the Indo-Pak-Afghan Region. In the session ‘India’s Role in the Afghan Peace Process’ they highlighted the ambiguous role played by India in the process. “We cannot remain wedded to our principles,” they said and argued that as a vested involved Party India has to pick a stance and follow through because the ambiguity of India’s actions has led to contradictions in foreign policy.
The Second micro session on the Afghan Peace Process called ‘Afghanistan’s Role in the Afghan Peace Process’ the speakers Assadullah Saadati, Deputy head of High Council of National Reconciliation for Political Affairs, Dr. Habiba Sarabi, Deputy Chair of the High Peace Council, and Mary Akrami, Director, Afghanistan Women Network, Afghanistan briefed us on the High Council and the composition of the same. They went on to discuss the Agenda being set in Doha and the peace talks prevalent in the region.
The third micro session of the Afghanistan Peace Process discussion focused on the ‘Role of Taliban’. The speaker Mullah Abdul Sallam Zaeef moderated by Anju Gupta had a heated discussion on the stance of the Taliban on the withdrawal of US forces. The representative refused to clarify the idea of the Taliban distancing itself from other radical organisations. They went on to discuss the intricacies of the supposedly reformed Taliban.
The final session comprised speakers who were from the United States and Russia. GCTC also invited specialists and professors on the United States’ foreign policy. The speakers Prof. Barnett R. Rubin, Senior Fellow, Center on International Cooperation, New York University; Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat, UNESCO Chair for Peace; Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru
University; Prof. KP Vijaylakshmi, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Prof. Vladimir Sotnikov from Russia. The United States backed its move of removing troops from Afghanistan. Experts claimed that the United States changed its National Security Priorities and terrorism was no longer a priority. Final comments were made by the speakers on whom the stakeholders leave Afghanistan to and the speakers closed with their recommendations to help towards the betterment of the situation in Afghanistan. GCTC .