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COMPULSIONS OF THE US Meanwhile, the Taliban has been steadily gaining ground in Afghanistan, with more territory under its control today than at any time since 2001, when American troops
threw them out of Kabul. Suicide bombers have wreaked havoc in Afghanistan, hitting targets across the country and even in the well-guarded capital. The idea is to come to the table and
negotiate from a position of strength. This suits the Pakistan army, long obsessed with gaining “strategic depth” in Afghanistan. A strong Taliban would put them in a better position to
bargain with the government of President Ashraf Ghani, and give them a larger share in the future political arrangement in the country. Islamabad is keen to have a pro-Pakistan and
anti-India regime installed in Kabul when the Taliban comes to power in the near future. All this is work in progress. Pakistan is in a superior position, when its good offices are needed
for stability in Afghanistan. Obama is desperate to ensure a reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban before leaving office. He would not wish to repeat the mistake of
former US administrations, which left Afghanistan in a mess after the Soviet soldiers left the country. New Delhi is well aware of this and realises why exactly the Americans do not wish to
deny Pakistan the F-16s its military needs. Making a noise over the sale makes little sense at the moment as South Block knows that the US has its own compulsions. The fact that some
Republican senators are against the sale is part of America’s domestic politics, where the Republicans are bent on blocking every move the Obama administration makes. India should stop
behaving like a petulant child. Besides, such nagging does not go well with the image of a country which has ambitions of big power status. Whining over F-16 sale to Pakistan is a throwback
to the times when India was not looking for a spot in the world’s high table but was happy to lead the anti-colonial and non-aligned movement. (_The writer is a Delhi-based freelance
journalist_.) ALSO READ: Afghan Peace Talks: Will India Consider Opening Up With Taliban?