The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has left India worried about the possible fallout of militant groups such as the Al Qaeda and the ISIS-Khorasan launching attacks on the country. However, Dr AJAY SAHNI, a terrorism expert and executive director for the Institute for Conflict Management believes that such fears are groundless.  Speaking to ASHWIN AHMAD, Sahni believes that these global militant groups have been trying to carry out jihad in India (Al Qaeda since 1996 and Islamic State since 2014) with little success. Coming to India itself, Sahni states radicalization of Indian Muslims and the activation of Indian sleeper cells in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in the country is unlikely as Islamabad has tried this tactic in the past and failed. Having said this, he does concede that reports that Pakistan-based terror groups such as the LeT and the JeM are shifting base to Afghanistan is a cause for concern as Islamabad gets further grounds for plausible deniability. On the Taliban, Sahni states India, the West, and other countries should be clear – the group has no interest in distancing itself from other militant groups such as the Al Qaeda. He however believes the West will continue to ignore this fact - as they have done since 9/11 - that the problem of the Taliban and the problem of Afghanistan is because of Pakistan.

Podcast Producer : Manas R. Tarai