NEIGHBOURHOOD FIRST

Collapse of Kabul

Coordinator: Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta

Panelists: Amb. Mahmoud Saikal, former Afghan Ambassador to the UN; Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Chairman, Pakistan Senate Defence Committee; and Shri Shakti Sinha, former Advisor UN Assistance Mission Kabul

Chair: Maj. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta, Convenor Regional Group Afghanistan

The stunning collapse of Kabul in a 10-day lightning offensive by the Taliban has unravelled a 20-year old on and off campaign for state building initiated by the US and its allies. It seems doubtful if the gains of the last 20 years will be preserved. How will the international community deal with a non-state actor (for many, a terrorist organisation) apparently supported by Pakistan in its seizure of force of Afghanistan and not through negotiations as pledged. The panel will explore the situation in Afghanistan