The Indian government, pilloried in the media here for blacking the wrong horse" in the Afghan power struggle, was feeling almost vindicated over its circumspect policy in the wake of reverses suffered by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan.

"It is better to wait and watch than to commit first and regret later in such a fluid situation." a senior External Affairs Ministry official told India Abroad News Service, obliquely referring to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia rushing to extend recognition to the Taliban regime in Kabul.

"Even the U.S. does not seem to be in a hurry to recognize the Taliban." the official pointed out.

Officially the Indian government has said It regards the Afghan developments as an internal affair of that country and trotted out the old line that it is for the Afghan people to decide their own destiny without outside interference or influ-

ence.

It merely recognized the "extension of Taliban authority" to the northern areas and the "departure from Afghanistan of senior leaders opposed to them ' Some analysts saw this as preparing the ground for official recognition of the Taliban reality in Afghanistan, which New Delhi has been loathe to do because the Taliban’s fundamentalist ideology was completely at odds with its pluralist principles.

The weekend reports of northern alliances repulsing the Taliban advances strengthened the Indian belief that the war was far from over and that it would be premature to write off the resistance of Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum or Panj shir commander Ahmed Shah Massoud. Defence Minister in the ousted regime of President Burhanuddin Rabbani

In November last. two Indian diplomats had made a Kissinger style secret foray into

northern Afghanistan to establish contacts with Gen Dostum. Gen Dostum had then told the Indian diplomats that he would like to see a role for India in Afghanistan's conflict resolution and subsequent relief and rehabilitation.

The Mazar-i-Sharif meeting, coupled with India's presence at two Afghanistan conferences held in Tehran and New York last year, were seen as a recognition of the Indian role in international efforts to end the Afghan civil war. This was in the face of opposition from Pakistan which did not want India to "intrude" into an area that it considered its sphere of influence.

Pakistan at that time boycotted a meeting called by Iran to protest India s inclusion in it Last week. Iranian Foreign Minister All Akbar Velayati called Prime Minister l.K. Gujral to brief him on the Afghan situation and to seek Indian humanitarian assistance for the war-affected people in the

northern provinces, officials said.

India feels that it Is in no hurry to take a position on Afghanistan as the situation Is unlikely to crystallize too soon in the see-saw battle between the Taliban and its opponents. Even though key commanders had reportedly spilt with Gen Dostum to side with the Taliban. officials do not underestimate the burly Uzbek general's capacity to regroup his forces or the battle-scarred Massoud's resilience in the face of severe odds

Massoud has been a widely acclaimed hero of the Afghan Mujahideen resistance and was known as the Uon of Panjshir" for the way he frustrated Russian efforts to control a strategic valley that connected the capital Kabul with the Salang highway leading to the then Soviet Union

The local media has criticised India s External Affairs Ministry for its "passivity" on Afghanistan and said it could

be pushed to a sideline role in the conflict. But Indian officials say that there Is little room for diplomatic adventurism at this time and they are in touch with Iran. Russia and other Central Asian countries which are equally concerned about the Afghanistan developments.

"Since it is an evolving situation. our policy has also to be modulated according to the prevailing circumstances. It cannot afford to remain static." the Indian official said.

The official however underlined that perhaps Afghanistan needed India more than India needed Afghanistan. "The Afghans are constantly seeking medical treatment in Indian hospitals and Indian medical and other humanitarian assistance Is In great demand in Kabul, irrespective of the regime in power there." the official said.

He said India was the destination for the bulk of Afghanistan’s dry fruit exports

and Afghans of Indian origin had been carrying on their business through non-formal channels even after the official trade between the countries had virtually dried up.

What could be however worrying to India is the Taliban stance on Kashmir. "Motivated as it by a misguided religious zeal, it is certain to turn its at tention to Kashmir," Deputy Editor K K Katyal wrote today in The Hindu.

"Whatever, New Delhi may do or may not do, it needs to be stern in Its warnings against any madness on Kashmir,"' Mr Katyal wrote, reflecting popular apprehensions on the Implications of the Taliban's ascendancyin Afghanistan.

Official sources said there has been so far no overtures from the Taliban although the regime’s "Foreign Minister" was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview last year that it wanted good relations with India.

— India Abroad News Service