New Delhi :India had anticipated the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but the speed at which it happened was a surprise, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat said Wednesday, giving the first official insight into how the government viewed the Afghan situation unravelling.The CDS said that India was concerned about the possible overflow of terror activities from Afghanistan, adding that contingency plans have been made.Gen. Rawat, who was speaking at a seminar organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), also spoke about the expanding Chinese naval and nuclear power but said India had the capability to take on the northern neighbour and Pakistan in conventional warfare.“Everything that has happened is something that was anticipated. Only the timelines have changed. From the Indian perspective, we were anticipating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan…,” he said “Yes, the time lines have certainly surprised us. We were anticipating this thing happening a couple of months down the pipeline.” Explaining how he looks at the Taliban, the CDS said, “It is pretty much the same. It is the same Taliban that was there 20 years ago. News reports and expats who have come from there are telling us the kind of activity that the Taliban is into. All that happened now is that partners have changed”.He also noted that India was concerned that “terrorist activities from Afghanistan could overflow into India”. “To that extent our contingency planning was ongoing and we were prepared for it,” he said.
