'India important, want to maintain ties': Taliban leadership

Taliban leadership in a telling acknowledgement said India is "very important for this subcontinent" and that it wants to cement Afghanistan’s "cultural, economic, political and trade" ties with New Delhi. What is more, is that the new dispensation wants to continue the relations with India "like in the past”. This is the first statement directed at India by a senior leader of the Taliban since they captured power in Kabul on August 15, which for sure will ruffle a few feathers in Pakistan and China, writes Ashok Patnaik.

Hyderabad: In what was implicit for the last few weeks before the Taliban took over and became crystal clear on Saturday is the Taliban leadership has acknowledged India as a "very important for this subcontinent" and wants to cement Afghanistan’s "cultural, economic, political and trade" ties with New Delhi. What is more, is that the new dispensation wants to continue the relations with India "like in the past”. This is the first statement directed at India by a senior leader of the Taliban since they captured power in Kabul on August 15.

Indian diplomacy, regardless of the criticism from Pakistan, China and a few of their affiliates, has paid dividends, though New Delhi has yet to officially give credence to the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

In Doha, the deputy head of Taliban’s office and former deputy foreign minister of 1996 caretaker regime, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai read out a carefully scripted statement in Pashto to the group’s social media platforms and Afghanistan’s Milli Television, wherein he underlined, "India is very important for this subcontinent." The acknowledgement is a significant departure that might put Pakistan's ISI at a disadvantageous position.

Pakistan always howled at India's role in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, India as the president of the United Nations Security Council had dropped a reference to the Taliban from a paragraph in its statement asking Afghan groups to not support terrorists "operating on the territory of any other country".

In a 46-minute video message broadcast on Saturday, Stanekzai said, "India is very important for this subcontinent. We want to continue our cultural, economic and trade ties with India like in the past."

Stanekzai went on to add: "We give due importance to our political, economic and trade ties with India and we want these ties to continue. We are looking forward to working with India in this regard."

On the Taliban’s plans for trade in the region, Stanekzai said: "Trade with India through Pakistan is very important for us. With India, trade through air corridors will also remain open."

On Afghanistan’s relations with Turkmenistan, Stanekzai listed the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and said the Taliban would work to address the problems that are holding up the venture once a government is formed.

It needs to be mentioned that over the last two weeks, Taliban spokespersons Suhail Shaheen and Zabiullah Mujahid have also spoken about the group’s views on relations with India.

Officials in the South Block have pointed out that the Taliban had cooperated for the safe passage of Indian diplomats and nationals from Kabul.