India is welcome to continue its aid and reconstruction work in Afghanistan after a government with the Taliban comes to power. But New Delhi should remain neutral and not give the current Kabul administration any military support, says Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s Political Office Spokesman for International Media based in Qatar.
In an interview, he also said he was unaware of contacts between the Indian government and his group. The comments come as the international community is warily watching the Islamist militant group take control of large swathes of Afghanistan after the exit of US-led international forces. India is worried a takeover of Afghanistan by Pakistan backed Taliban will jeopardize its security interests. When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan between 1996-2001, terrorism in Kashmir saw a spurt. New Delhi has long sought a government in Kabul that does not support Pakistan-based terrorist groups targeting Kashmir. To make Afghanistan economically independent, India has been developing the Chabahar port given that overland trade with landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia are hostage to the strains in the India-Pakistan relationship. Read More…
