ISLAMABAD: Former Afghanistan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Sunday warned India to refrain from using Afghanistan’s soil against Pakistan to “avenge” the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir.
In an interview with Radio Pakistan in Kabul, the Hezb-e-Islami chief said New Delhi, instead of speculating the future of Afghanistan, should focus on its internal issues.
He said hostile spy agencies operating inside Afghanistan were instigating the people to revolt against the Taliban, declaring Kabul’s “foes” did not want a strong and stable central government in the country torn by decades of civil war and internal instability.
In its latest op-ed, Economist observed that for India, the house-of-cards collapse of the Ashraf Ghani regime represented a “strategic setback” and a “stinging humiliation”.
Experts believe New Delhi was late in opening channels with the Taliban. Had India done this a little earlier, and taken a more balanced approach in Afghanistan, instead of throwing all its bets on the shaky puppet regime, things would have been much different, India Today said.
Hekmatyar said formal talks among the local groups to form a negotiated government will start after the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in the next few days.
He pointed out there would soon be an inclusive government in Kabul, which will be acceptable to the Afghan nation and the international community.
He stated it is for the benefit of the people that Afghan political leaders and the Taliban formally sit at the dialogue table to form the new government. He disclosed that contacts were being made in this regard and soon formal talks would soon begin.
Hekmatyar said the Taliban, in their statements, have been saying that they will prefer to establish a dispensation in consultation with all stakeholders.
He also commended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s longstanding stance concerning peace in Afghanistan.
Last week, in their first press conference following their return to power, the Taliban vowed to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s longtime spokesman, promised the Taliban would honour women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law. He also encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out headscarves at the door.
Mujahid also said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before 9/11. That assurance was part of a 2020 peace deal reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration that paved the way for the American withdrawal.
