Afghan envoy to India urges Taliban to leave the path of violence

Afghan envoy to India, Farid Mamundzay, in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat senior correspondent Chandrakala Choudhury, said that Afghanistan which has been marred by insurgency, despite tonnes of peace negotiating efforts, has seen a steep increase in brutality in the year 2020. He has also requested the international allies to collectively pressurise the rebel groups to follow the path of tranquillity.

New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Intra- Afghan talk which is likely to be held on April 16, the Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, speaks about the current scenario in Afghanistan and what can be expected from the Afghan peace talks.

He said, "What we have in Afghanistan today in terms of violence and insurgency is not a civil war, we are fighting international terrorism and it requires a collective effort of wealth and resources. If we see the foreseeable future, we need the strong support of major allies like the United States to help in strengthening our defence forces to deal with International terrorism. It is not the conflict of Afghanistan or Afghanis fighting in Afghan."

"The recent report of the UNSC was that there are international fighters in Afghanistan, the presence of foreign fighters make the region and the entire world worried and nervous. We don't want any more 9/11 or Mumbai terror attacks. For those attacks to be prevented in the future, we need very thorough supports from the partners, including India, NATO and other partners to effectively deal with these groups", he points out.

On being asked whether a solution can be expected to the ongoing violence in Afghanistan, Mamundzay said, "Given the will of the international community and the support of the regional countries, if they put the needed pressure on Taliban to let violence go and forgo the idea of getting to power only through violence, yes solution is possible."

"Our President is willing to hold an early election and would not run for that election himself. He has sacrificed more than half of his time for the sake of peace. This is an opportunity that may never come again in the future. So, we request the Taliban to utilise the existing opportunity to seize the moment and let violence go and believe in the will of the Afghan people", he told ETV Bharat.

He further reiterated that Afghanistan wants India's presence in all peace-related efforts.

"Without India's involvement, we see the peace process as not a complete process. India has invested a lot of resources for the Afghan people. And Afghan people want a credible partner in all those processes", he added.

"The Afghan government is committed to entering a meaningful process which would produce tangible results. We would end the conflict in a responsible manner, where Afghan sovereignty wouldn't be compromised", said Mamundzay.