New Delhi: According to Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha and official spokesman, India should establish relations with the Taliban government in Kabul on the basis of national and mutual interest and sever all ties with the former Ashraf Ghani government.
In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, the Taliban leader said that India should try to forge deeper ties with the people of Afghanistan and reopen its embassy in Kabul. He said the Taliban was committed to providing full security to Indian diplomats.
“We have repeatedly announced that it is our commitment to provide security to all diplomats working in Kabul. It is our responsibility and we have proved it. Many embassies are functioning in Kabul and we have provided them full security. This includes India too if they want to open their embassy”, Shaheen told ThePrint.
“If they want to complete their projects or take new initiatives, they (India) are welcome. India should not base its relationship and all its relations on the personal lens of officials of the former Kabul administration,” he said. Now living with their families in western countries. But there has to be a relationship with the people of Afghanistan, they were there, they are there and they will be there. So it’s good for them. Now we are two independent governments and countries and We should have relations on the basis of national interest and on the basis of equality and mutual interest.
India had closed its Consulate in Kabuli When the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021. Earlier, India had also closed its consulates Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandhari, Herat, and Jalalabad,
Since the takeover of the Taliban, India has sent several batches of humanitarian aid and aid to Afghanistan with food, medicines and other essential items.
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‘Afghanistan’s soil will not be used for terrorism’
Shaheen also reiterated the Taliban’s commitment to the international community that it had built under doha agreementWhich was signed between the Taliban and the US in February 2020.
“We say that no one will abuse Afghan soil, we see it in our national interest and it is our commitment as per the Doha Agreement. We feel that if this happens, it will cause more harm to the people of Afghanistan than to Afghanistan and others,” Shaheen said.
“The foreign agenda was never our agenda. Our agenda from the very beginning was to liberate our country and establish a government supported by the people of Afghanistan. That’s done… now there is peace and security and operation and assistance is needed. It is time for countries to come and start economic projects which are good for them and our people. ,
He said this is one of the reasons why the Taliban government has acted as a mediator between Pakistan and Pakistan in the recent past. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) because it would be “good for all”.
“We want peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region on the basis of the Doha Agreement, we are adhering to it and for that, we have mediated between Pakistan and the Pakistani Taliban. It is good for everyone,” Shaheen said.
The Taliban spokesman also said, “We want Afghanistan to become a center of trade and create an environment where all countries can have commerce and good relations that will be beneficial to neighboring countries and the region.”
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Committee to consider reopening schools for Afghan girls
On 23 March, the Taliban interim government in Afghanistan announced that all high school for girls Will close and order arrived within hours of opening that morning. While the move drew widespread criticism from around the world, the Taliban feel there should be a “conducive environment” for young Afghan girls to go back to school.
Shaheen said, “On reopening of secondary schools for girls, a political committee (consisting of religious scholars) has been formed specifically for this issue and I hope it will be resolved at the earliest. “
“I know the importance of education and I have been saying that education is the right of both boys and girls and my government is saying the same thing. The issue is only about the friendly atmosphere and the hijab. Because we are an Islamic society, we fought for our freedom for 20 years, this is what our people are expecting from us. This is the demand of our people. We have made that promise, and we have to fulfill it,” he insisted.
Emphasizing on the fact that Taliban is not against the education of Afghan girls, Shaheen said, Taliban wants them to go to special girls’ schools.
“We are not against education but we will provide a conducive environment and this committee of religious scholars has been set up and I hope it will be finalized and resolved. By conducive environment I mean co-educational Rather girls will have schools and they can use a shawl, they can use a hijab which is used throughout Islamic and even non-Islamic countries,” he said.
“The verdict will come soon. The committee has been constituted and their sole aim and task is to find a solution to this issue which is also a demand of our people.
She said that currently, there are more than 100,000 female students studying in private and public universities in Afghanistan and the Ministry of Education has recently opened 3,000 vacancies for the post of female teachers.
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Taliban should be recognized, sanctions lifted
According to Shaheen, the Taliban have met and complied with all the requirements required under the Doha deal to become internationally recognized, while they fought to lift the sanctions imposed on them by the Western world.
“The international community should not tie its humanitarian aid to political demands. If there is any difference of opinion between them, we are ready to talk about them and resolve those differences so that an agreement can be reached. But they should not use starvation as a tactic to achieve their political goals.”
Shaheen said, “The sanctions should be lifted and we are ready and have investor-friendly laws and we welcome investment from other countries, also we are working on our basic rights of our people in light of our Islamic values.” and great tradition.”
He also said that the Taliban is working towards establishing a permanent government and a full cabinet soon.
(Edited by Manoj Ramachandran)
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