Manmohan cautions Karzai against moderate Taliban trap

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and conveyed India's concerns over a plan to hold talks with the so-called moderate Taliban in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and conveyed India's concerns over a plan to hold talks with the so-called moderate Taliban in Afghanistan.

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Manmohan Singh met Karzai at his 7, Race Course Road residence and discussed a host of issues that impinge on peace and stability in Afghanistan. The meeting came nearly two months after seven Indians were brutally killed in Kabul.

He reiterated India's commitment to continue reconstruction work in Afghanistan and discussed the security of over 3,500 Indians engaged in a slew of projects in the violence-torn country, sources said.

The prime minister also conveyed India's concerns over a plan, backed at a Jan 28 London conference, to reintegrate the so-called moderate Taliban in the Afghan political mainstream.

In his talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington a fortnight ago, Manmohan Singh had expressed India's unease over any reconciliation or power-sharing with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Karzai arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit in the morning. He will leave for Bhutanese capital Thimphu on Tuesday to participate in the 16th summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).