The Taliban are close to forming a government in Afghanistan after their swift takeover of the war-ravaged country. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Afghanistan’s wily warlord-turned-politician in an interview to CNN-News18 today warned India against giving refuge to those aligned with the toppled Afghan establishment, as it “would be forcing the Taliban to act in kind.” India’s trade with Afghanistan is also facing hurdles. It was reported yesterday that India’s sugar export to the country has almost come to a halt with Indian merchants reporting cancellation of orders in the wake of the current situation there.
Despite their struggle to find a common ground on geopolitical issues, the Taliban have been unanimous in maintaining that they do not intend to get involved in the Indo-Pak tussle or the Kashmir issue, and are looking forward to India’s ‘positive and constructive role’ in Afghanistan.
August 26: ‘India Should Complete Pending Afghan Projects’
India had invested a lot in projects in Afghanistan, including the country’s Parliament building. After the Taliban takeover, the status of these projects has been a concern. On August 29, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told CNN-News18 that the Taliban never had issues with India’s projects in Afghanistan but were opposing their support to the “puppet” government of Ashraf Ghani.
“About their (India’s) projects which are good for the people of Afghanistan and which contribute to the welfare of people of Afghanistan, if they are incomplete then they can complete it. What we were opposing was their siding with the former government,” he said.
“What we have wanted for the last 20 years is that countries, including India, should have a relation with the people of Afghanistan. And they should also acknowledge the intention of the people of Afghanistan for the liberation of the country. It was our point and our position and we have always said that no one should not side with that puppet government. They should support the people of Afghanistan,” the spokesperson added.
August 30: Stanikzai on Friendly Relations With India
An alumnus of the Indian Military Academy who is tipped to be Afghanistan’s foreign minister told CNN-News18 that his country would not pick sides between India and Pakistan. Stanikzai, speaking exclusively from Doha, said the Taliban is keen to foster friendly relations with India.
Foreign Policy
“Our foreign policy is to have good relations with all our neighbouring countries and the whole world. The American forces were in Afghanistan for the last 20 years and after which they withdrew. We will have friendly relations with America after this and NATO. So, I think they should come back and take part in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan. Same goes for India. We want to continue friendly cultural and economic relations with them. Not only with India, all our neighbouring countries, including Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.”
On LeT and JeM
When asked if Afghanistan could become a sanctuary for terror groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, Stanikzai said: “There was no threat from Afghanistan to any of our neighbours, including India throughout our history and it will not happen at all. There is no doubt that there is a long political and geographical dispute between India and Pakistan. We hope they do not use Afghanistan in their internal fight, they have a long border, they can fight amongst themselves on the border. They should not use Afghanistan for this and we will not let any country use our land for this.”
Keep us Out of Internal Fight
Asked about fears that Taliban may be hostile towards India or team up with Pakistan to target the country, Stanikzai said what comes up in the media is “often wrong”. “There is no such statement or indication from our side. We want good relations with all our neighbouring countries,” he said.
The Taliban leader added that he was mindful of the long political and geographical dispute between India and Pakistan but they hoped Afghanistan would not be used in their “internal fight”.
“We hope they do not use Afghanistan in their internal fight; they have a long border, they can fight amongst themselves on the border. They should not use Afghanistan for this and we will not let any country use our land for this,” he said.
Sept 1: Haqqani Network Speaks on India
In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, top Taliban leader Anas Haqqani had spoke at length on the Haqqani network’s Pakistan connection, their relationship with India and the Kashmir issue.
When asked about the Haqqani network’s close association with Pakistan ISI and the Pak army, he said: “We struggled for twenty years. Lots of negative propaganda about us and it’s all wrong. The Haqqani Network is nothing. We are working for everyone. The media worldwide and especially in India is spreading negative propaganda about us. This is spoiling the atmosphere. No Pakistani weapon was ever used in the war. These allegations are wrong and baseless.”
On the relationship the Haqqani network looking at with India, he said: “We want a good relationship with India. We don’t want anyone to think wrong about us. India has helped our enemy for twenty years but we are ready to forget everything and take the relationship forward.”
“Kashmir is not part of our jurisdiction and interference is against policy. How can we go against our policy? It is clear we will not interfere,” the leader said, clarifying that the Haqqani will JeM and LeT in the Kashmir matter, and that anything being said otherwise was just propoganda.
Sept 3: Hekmatyar on Kashmir
Former Afghanistan Prime Minister and chief of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18 today spoke about Pakistan, India and the Kashmir issue.
When asked about the role Afghanistan could play in removing Pakistan’s negative mindset and influence, he said: “I believe that everyone has understood the fact that insecurity, conflict and the presence of terrorist outfits or states are to the detriment of all. Pakistan is second only to Afghanistan in how much it has been affected due to all these conflicts.”
“Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, labelled Pakistan’s support of the US invasion of Afghanistan as a mistake that he would not repeat. He also stated that their only expectation from Afghanistan is that India not use its soil against Pakistan’s interests. Future governments of Afghanistan should be non-aligned and should strive to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a site for political, intelligence, military and economic rivalries. Previous experiences have shown that every time Kabul has aligned with a regional or global rival, it has always led to conflict. Past alignments with the US and Soviet Union have gone on to prove that point, a bloody history we should diligently avoid,” he said.
‘Don’t Want Kashmir Conflict Exported’
“Taliban must remain committed to their pledge of not allowing Afghan soil to be used against any nations interests. Afghans do not want the Kashmir conflict exported to Afghanistan. Neither do they want the Indian and Chinese border disputes, the issue of Tibet nor the rivalries relating to Gawadar damn or Chahbahar port to be exported to Afghanistan,” he said.
‘India Should Not Have Apprehensions’
“I would also like to emphasize that Afghanistan’s soil can be used against its neighbours more effectively than it can be against other non-neighbouring nations. India should not have such apprehensions. If their apprehensions arise from the refuge they’ve given to the opposition then they should simply refrain from giving such refuge. India by providing political asylum to the opposition of the incoming Afghan government and by giving them a platform to conduct activities against the government, would be forcing the Taliban to act in kind,” he said.
India’s Role in New Afghanistan
“I would like to see India play a positive and constructive role in Afghanistan, contrary to their role in the past four decades. It chose to support the invasion and occupation of both the Soviet Union and the United States of America instead of supporting the Afghan cause for freedom. It should also refrain from supporting puppet regimes of foreign occupiers,” he said.
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