Ex Afghan PM once offered Vajpayee to divide Pakistan between India and Afghanistan

Currently it is touted that the relationship between Afghanistan and India is at its strongest point. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to the country and his bonding with the Afghan top leadership has helped India make its presence integral to Afghanistan both at strategic and economic levels.

Decades back, the relationship between Kabul and New Delhi was so strong that one of the titular heads had actually suggested the elimination of a mutual enemy. And they were referring to none other than Pakistan. This fact hasn’t changed since then. Pakistan still continues to be the mutual enemy.

In the late 1970s when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the External Affairs Minister in the Morarji Desai government, Hafizullah Amin was then the Prime Minister of Afghanistan. Afghanistan was far more different in its approach then. Women in Kabul wore western clothing and had a very modern outlook on life. The Soviet Union (USSR) was a great friend of both Afghanistan and India. As such, both the countries had the backing of a powerful nation.

In 1978 September, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had travelled to Afghanistan, where he met, Prime Minister Amin.

According to renowned journalist Kuldip Nayar’s, autobiography, ‘Beyond the Lines’, Nayar wrote that Amin suggested Vajpayee, that India and Afghanistan should attack Pakistan and divide the country between themselves. Hearing this, Vajpayee, was taken by surprise. Though, nothing of that sort happened.

In the winters of December 1979, Soviets invaded Afghanistan as the country descended into a political quagmire. During the invasion, Amin was assassinated by Soviet troops, who he foolishly believed to be on his side till the last moment.

Whereas, India’s reins were in the hands of a Prime Minister who had no faith in his own intelligence agencies, and he actually betrayed them into the hands of Pakistanis.

Since then, it has been a downfall for Afghanistan. It is nowhere close to its pre-Soviet invasion days. It is surrounded by its home grown problems – the Taliban and a whole host of other terrorists entities. On the other hand, India has become stronger but is plagued by problems such as lack of political unity, intellectuals who sympathise with terrorists, religious politics and terrorism sponsored by ISI.

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