In the latest interview with Samaa news, Taliban spokesperson, Sohail Shaheen bashed India and favoured Pakistan. The anchor questioned how the Taliban perceives India’s character within Afghanistan. He responded that India has insinuated that the Taliban have animosity towards Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan.
He said that is false as the people of Afghanistan technically have no connection whatsoever with those in power and that the elites on the top have no care for the Afghan people, as firstly they have foreign citizenship, and secondly, they can barely speak the language of the Afghans.
He states that the Indian supply of arms is misused by the Kabul administration against innocent civilians. He also emphasised that India is interfering in the internal matter of Afghans. Earlier, in an interview with India Today, on 11th August, Shaheen made it clear that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used for any third country’s gains and that rumours of the Taliban getting support from Pakistan are baseless.
#Exclusive: Talks with India on condition of “impartiality”, says Taliban spokesperson.
No talks have taken place between Indian and Taliban officials
Watch @Geeta_Mohan's #ReporterDiary #Afghanistan #Taliban #India pic.twitter.com/PmnoVdJK6g— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 11, 2021
Answering Samaa anchor’s question on the Indian presidency excluding Pakistan from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Sohail Shaheen said that Pakistan is a neighbour to Afghanistan who has been hosting thousands of Afghan refugees; so the security situation in Afghanistan affects Pakistan. He further stated that ties with Pakistan are deep due to the Islamic, cultural and historical links.
Read more: India and Afghanistan united against Pakistan?
Therefore, it must be allowed to participate in the peace and reconciliation process and assist in the development projects along with other countries. He stated that be it war or peace, the effects are felt in Pakistan too, thus its inclusion in the peace process is of significant value.
طالبان پاکستان کے ساتھ کیا کرنا چاہتے ہیں؟
ترجمان طالبان سہیل شاہین کا تہلکہ خیز انٹرویو
مکمل پروگرام: https://t.co/XOJ5VpFaCJ@kirannaz_KN @7se8samaa pic.twitter.com/4i76Cfcjwb
— SAMAA TV (@SAMAATV) August 12, 2021
The Taliban Spokesperson also said that the Taliban has no personal grudges with Ghani, but they are not willing to recognise the current people in Kabul as the sole authority. He calls them the “imposed government” left by the “occupiers” of Afghanistan and recognising it would leave the Taliban’s efforts in vain.
He said they are willing and open to negotiations with the likes of entities present at the Doha peace talks. The Doha meetings began on 11th August 2021 with the Troika+ in an attempt to break the deadlock in peace talks on Afghanistan.
Read more: Former advisor to US Army says Pakistan not be blamed for Kabul’s failures
The statement released by the forum states that violence and attacks must be halted for the peace process to function in confidence. Both sides have been urged to make a comprehensive ceasefire. Pakistan and other key participants in the peace talks asserted that once a “viable” agreement is made, the reconstruction of Afghanistan can smoothly begin.
Big Breaking from Qatar: Statement issued after Afghan Regional Conference in Doha; participating countries "reaffirmed that they will not recognize any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force." https://t.co/f15aENsEMV pic.twitter.com/ieWet920aN
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) August 12, 2021