Taliban Say Will Raise Voice For Muslims Anywhere Including Kashmir: Report

Mumbai: The Taliban regime, the insurgent group, said on Friday that it has the right to raise its voice for Muslims anywhere, including in Kashmir. The terrorist group, however, said it does not have a policy of taking up arms against any country.

The Taliban’s own political office, Suhail Shaheen, said in an exclusive interview to the BBC via video link on Thursday: “We will raise our voice and say that Muslims are your own people, your own citizens and have equal rights.”

Shaheen further said that as Muslims, the group had the right to speak for Muslims living in Kashmir and any other country.

Recalling the terms of the Doha agreement with the US, he said they “have no policy of conducting armed operations against any country”.

Shaheen’s remarks came after the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said that Indian envoy to Qatar Deepak Mittal had met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, at the request of the group.

However, Shaheen’s remarks are in contrast with the group’s earlier statements on Kashmir which had said that Kashmir is a “bilateral and an internal matter”.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said India is focusing on ensuring that Afghan soil is not used by terrorist groups for activities against India. Bagchi said it was “very early days” to speak on any possible recognition of the Taliban.

“We used the opportunity to express our concerns, whether it is the evacuation of people (from Afghanistan) or the issue of terrorism. We got a positive response,” Bagchi said.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.