US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to India revealed strong convergence between the oldest and largest democracies on Quad, China, and Indo-Pacific, shifting of American position closer to New Delhi’s viewpoint on Afghanistan over Taliban offensive and Washington’s has shed its reticence over the exiled 14th Dalai Lama.

Blinken’s conversations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday were largely centered on Taliban offensive in Afghanistan accompanied with brutality on innocent citizens and increasing Chinese belligerence in its pursuit to become the numero uno in the world.

While Blinken’s official discussions with Indian leadership were extensive on conflict situations all over the globe, Secretary of State statement that Afghanistan yet again will be treated as pariah state if Taliban seize power by force instead of negotiated political settlement will force the Sunni fundamentalists and their handlers to rethink.

Beijing’s all-weather client state Pakistanis again playing the double game by sending a Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Baradar to China and sending the DG (ISI) Lt General Faiz Hameed and Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf to Washington perhaps to assure the Biden administration that Taliban will deliver on its commitments and extract leverage for beleaguered PM Imran Khan on economy and FATF.

While the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman highlighted Chinese repression in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong during her visit to China last Sunday, the other Quad partners have also decided to pushback on Beijing’s unilateral diplomatic demands.