News Analysis India

Tag: Afghan crisis

  • Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism: Delhi dialogue on Afghanistan crisis

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Top security czars of India, Russia, Iran and five central Asian countries on Wednesday pledged to work for ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for global terrorism and called for the formation of an open and truly inclusive government in Kabul.

    At the end of an India-hosted security dialogue on Afghanistan, the security officials came out with a declaration reaffirming that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist activities.

    The Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan voiced concern over the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in that country and underlined the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

    The security officials also said that humanitarian assistance should be provided in an unimpeded, direct and assured manner to Afghanistan and that the assistance is distributed within the country in a non-discriminatory manner across all sections of Afghan society.

    The central Asian countries that attended the dialogue are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

    In his opening remarks, NSA Ajit Doval said the recent developments in that country have important implications not only for Afghan people but also for the region.

    The declaration said the officials reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.

    It said they also expressed deep concern over the suffering of the Afghan people arising from the security situation in Afghanistan and condemned the terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar and Kabul.

    They specifically emphasised that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.

    ALSO READ | Taliban expresses optimism about regional meet on Afghanistan hosted by India

    The declaration said the officials condemned in the strongest terms all terrorist activities and reaffirmed their firm commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms including its financing.

    It also referred to the need for dismantling terrorist infrastructure and countering radicalisation to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for global terrorism.

    The officials also called for collective cooperation against the menace of radicalisation, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region.

    They stressed the necessity of forming an open and truly inclusive government that represents the will of all the people of Afghanistan and has representation from all sections of their society, including major ethnopolitical forces in the country.

    The declaration said the inclusion of all sections of the society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country.

    Recalling the relevant UN resolutions on Afghanistan, the participants noted that the UN has a central role to play in that country and that its continued presence there must be preserved.

    The officials also emphasised the importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children and minority communities are not violated.

    In his comments, Doval said it is time for closer consultations, greater cooperation and coordination among the regional countries to deal with the challenges emanating from Afghanistan.

    “We all have been keenly watching the developments in that country.

    These have important implications not only for the people of Afghanistan but also for its neighbours and the region,” Doval said.

    “This is the time for close consultation amongst us, greater cooperation and interaction and coordination among the regional countries,” he said.

    India invited China and Pakistan too but both the countries decided not to attend it.

  • Border forces, armed counter-terrorism units to have training module on Taliban

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Border forces and armed police units deployed in the counter-terrorism grid have been directed by the central security establishment to prepare and administer a new training module on the Taliban and its modus operandi to the troops in view of the “emerging” scenario following the Islamic militia taking over Afghanistan.

    Stating that the fall of Kabul to the Taliban last month may have a “serious bearing” on the security situation in India, the ground forces and their intelligence setup have been asked to update both their strategy, tactics and combat syllabus on the new “geo-political situation in central and south Asia and its grave security implication on India’s borders and the hinterland”.

    The directive issued by the security establishment a few days back also envisages a scenario where infiltration from across the border from Pakistan on India’s west and illegal entry of terrorist operatives from open fronts in the east may increase including that by foreign terrorist fighters.

    Officials in the central security forces and intelligence wings acknowledged the new developments that have taken place in the neighbourhood after the Taliban swiftly took over almost all provinces of Afghanistan last month following the US military retreating from their 20-year war in that country launched after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 in their country.

    A senior officer told PTI that the existing training module of border guarding forces like the BSF and SSB, state police units and those involved in counter-terrorist duties like the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have an existing title “changing dynamics of border management”.

    “This included information on the Taliban as well but it was not updated. That is being added through open-source authentic information and others available in a classified manner to us and the focus is the developments of the last twenty years that took place in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” the officer said.

    A full-fledged training, intelligence and combat module on Taliban, its leadership and their modus operandi is being prepared apart from specific case studies that have taken place in that country and the region, he said.

    The directives have been forwarded to the central and state police forces which have multiple levels of training centres and academies to train their personnel and officers during induction and while in service.

    “It is very important for the last man standing at the border, a checkpost or under a police jurisdiction to know about the Taliban’s history and linked activities and strategies. Senior and top commanders of the security forces may know most of the things about Afghanistan and Taliban situation but they draw their operational strength from the troops or the constable standing on the ground. They need to be informed well,” another senior officer working in the training management division of a paramilitary force said.

    At least one such session has been conducted in two central forces post the issuance of the new directives while a webinar for all these forces is being planned in a combined manner to be held later this month, a Union home ministry official said.

    A third officer said the latest directions make it clear that such sessions should also be held for the troops and commanding officers on the ground during “daily operational briefing sessions” in their area of deployment and case studies on the Taliban are being prepared in “local and vernacular languages” for the troops.

    The security forces are also enhancing their training quota of personnel for understanding IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs). “IEDs remain a constant threat to the security personnel and their operations everywhere be it anti-Naxal operations or counter-terrorist duties. However, for those deployed in the Kashmir valley knowing IEDs and VBIEDs, their detection and crippling is very important post the Afghanistan development,” one of the officers cited above said and referred to the fatal and non-fatal casualties suffered by the NATO forces from IEDs in Afghanistan.

  • Afghan situation raises new security questions: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The current happenings in Afghanistan have raised new security questions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, asserting the Central government is alert and capable of dealing with any situation.

    He also said that no anti-national force should be allowed to encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the developments in Afghanistan. He was addressing the third Balramji Dass Tandon memorial lecture organised by Panjab University on the issue of national security.

    “What is happening in neighbouring Afghanistan is raising new questions in terms of security and our government is keeping a watch on the developments there,” said Singh in his address delivered through video conferencing.

    Along with the security of Indians, Singh said, “Our government also wants that anti-national forces do not encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the development there. We have some more concerns which can become challenges from the point of view of national security.”

    Singh said the Modi-led government at the Centre is alert and capable of dealing with any situation. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a vexatious two-decade war.

  • Afghan crisis exhibits importance of CAA in India: BJP leader Ramchander Rao

    By ANI

    HYDERABAD:: The Afghanistan crisis has exhibited the importance of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the country, said Bharatiya Janata Party leader N Ramchander Rao on Monday.

    Speaking to ANI, Rao said that the religious persecution of Hindus and Sikhs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan has forced them to leave their homes. “They have to leave their homes. Where will they go if not India? Looking at the situation in Afghanistan, we can see how important CAA is for our country,” he stated.

    “People of India will now realise that this step taken by the government will help all these Hindus and Sikhs who are being thrown away from Afghanistan,” he added. He further stated that the government will ensure to evacuate all Indians stranded in Afghanistan.

    ALSO READ| Developments in volatile neighbourhood are the reason why CAA is necessary: Hardeep Singh Puri

    Rao’s statement on CAA came in the wake of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s tweet earlier on Sunday.

    Sharing a news article, Singh had tweeted, “Recent developments in our volatile neighbourhood and the way Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time are precisely why it was necessary to enact the Citizenship Amendment Act.”

    With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, countries are rushing to evacuate their citizens from the war-torn nation. The CAA allows persecuted minorities belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to avail of Indian citizenship.

    According to the provisions of the act, people belonging to these communities who arrived in India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these three countries will not be treated as illegal migrants but will be provided with Indian citizenship.

    The Opposition parties and several groups have protested against the implementation of the CAA and said that the law coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise targets the minorities in India.

  • Developments in volatile neighbourhood are the reason why CAA is necessary: Hardeep Singh Puri

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI:: After a special Indian Air Force (IAF) repatriation flight ferrying 168 people from Kabul landed at Ghaziabad Hindon air base on Sunday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that developments in the volatile neighbourhood are the reason why enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act is necessary.

    Sharing a news article, Singh tweeted, “Recent developments in our volatile neighbourhood and the way Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time are precisely why it was necessary to enact the Citizenship Amendment Act.”

    People in Afghanistan have been rushing to leave the country after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country’s government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country. Countries have been urgently evacuating their citizens from the war-torn nation. The Kabul airport is witnessing nowadays a heavy chaos due to instability in the region.

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said the government is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals from Afghanistan. The MEA said that the main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

    MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, tweeted earlier to say that two Nepalese citizens were among those on board the Air India flight from Kabul. The CAA allows persecuted minorities belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to avail of Indian citizenship.

    According to the provisions of the act, people belonging to these communities who arrived in India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these three countries will not be treated as illegal migrants but will be provided with Indian citizenship.

    If a person belongs to the aforementioned faiths, from these three countries, does not have proof of birth of parents, they can apply for Indian citizenship after six years of residence in India. President of India Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the legislation on December 12, 2019.

    The Opposition parties and several groups have protested against the implementation of CAA. CAA’s detractors believe that the law coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise is intended to target the minorities in India.

  • Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut likens India’s partition to situation in Afghanistan

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday likened India’s partition to the present situation in Afghanistan and said it reminds people of the pain of destruction of a country’s existence and sovereignty.

    In his weekly column ‘Rokhthok’ in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Raut also said if Nathuram Godse had killed Jinnah, “who was responsible for creating Pakistan”, instead of Mahatma Gandhi, the partition could have been avoided and there would have been no need for observing August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.

    “The situation in Afghanistan reminds us of what is the pain of destruction of a country’s existence and sovereignty,” the Marathi daily’s executive editor said. Raut compared India’s partition to the current situation in Afghanistan where, he said, its troops “ran away”.

    “How can the pain of partition be eased unless the part which was broken away is included back? There will be no peace of mind. Even though we feel an ‘Akhand Hindustan’ should happen, it doesn’t look possible. But, hope is eternal. If PM Narendra Modi wants an ‘Akhand Hindustan, he is welcome. He should also speak about what he plans to do about 11 crore Muslims from Pakistan,” he said.

    The advocates of ‘Akhand Hindustan’ had accepted the idea of the Muslim League and two-nation theory and did not fight against it, he said while quoting Marathi writer Narhar Kurundkar on the issue. Raut said Mahatma Gandhi was not in active politics when a system of separate Muslim electorate was introduced by the British.

    Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru abolished the system of separate Muslim electorate and special perks for them when India gained freedom, said the Sena leader, whose party shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra.

    He also said Muslim leaders had left the Congress when Gandhi refused their unreasonable demands.

  • Taliban maligning Islam through terror activities: Ajmer Dargah spiritual head Syed Jainul Abedin

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Spiritual head of the Ajmer Dargah Syed Jainul Abedin on Saturday said the Taliban is maligning Islam through terror activities in the name of the “shariyat”. He said that restrictions on women and killings in the name of the Islamic law cannot be supported and are a crime in Islam.

    Terror and dictatorial activities of the Taliban are promoting hatred towards Islam in the world, the spiritual head of the Ajmer shrine said. “The Taliban is maligning Islam by terror activities in the name of shariyat (Islamic law),” Abedin said in a statement referring to attacks by the Taliban after capturing Afghanistan.

    He said that Afghanistan has fallen into the hands of brutal Taliban and the rule of destruction, restrictions on women and killings have started in this country.

    Such deeds in the name of “shariyat” are a crime in Islam and cannot be supported, he said, adding that the Taliban has interpreted the law differently to fulfil its agenda of terrorism and governance as per their agenda.

    He said people should always give a priority to the national interest. The first duty should be to save our country, maintain unity and peace and then think about ourselves, he added. “I strongly condemn those who support and welcome the illegal authority of the Taliban and their terrorist ideology,” he said.

    He further said, “The Muslim of India, being a peaceful citizen, does not support and welcome ideology of the Taliban, which is against the basic teachings of Islam.”

  • 3 Islamic clerics, MBBS student among 14 arrested in Assam for supporting Taliban

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Assam Police arrested 14 people, including an MBBS student, for supporting the Taliban through social media.

    The persons were arrested from Kamrup, Darrang, Barpeta, Dhubri, Hailakandi, Cachar, Karimganj, South Salmara, Goalpara, and Hojai districts.

    The police said the accused had posted “adverse/objectionable” comments on social media supporting the Taliban. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Information Technology Act, and CrPC.

    #assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that are harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice
    — Violet Baruah IPS (@violet_baruah) August 21, 2021

    The arrests were made since Friday night. Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    ALSO READ | Sedition case against Samajwadi Party MP, two others over pro-Taliban remarks

    Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    @assampolice has arrested 14 persons for social media posts regarding Taliban activities that have attracted provisions of law of the land.People are advised to be careful in posts/likes etc on social media platforms to avoid penal action @CMOfficeAssam @DGPAssamPolice @HMOIndia pic.twitter.com/iQaKTXP74x
    — GP Singh (@gpsinghips) August 21, 2021
    Deputy Inspector General of Police Violet Baruah tweeted: “#assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that is harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons.”

    She appealed to the people to inform the police if they come across any objectionable posts on social media.

  • 13 Islamic clerics, MBBS student arrested in Assam for supporting Taliban

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Assam Police arrested 14 people, including an MBBS student, for supporting the Taliban through social media.

    The persons were arrested from Kamrup, Darrang, Barpeta, Dhubri, Hailakandi, Cachar, Karimganj, South Salmara, Goalpara, and Hojai districts.

    The police said the accused had posted “adverse/objectionable” comments on social media supporting the Taliban. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Information Technology Act, and CrPC.

    #assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that are harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice
    — Violet Baruah IPS (@violet_baruah) August 21, 2021

    The arrests were made since Friday night. Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    ALSO READ | Sedition case against Samajwadi Party MP, two others over pro-Taliban remarks

    Special Director General of Police GP Singh confirmed one of the persons arrested is an MBBS student. Three others are Islamic clerics.

    Deputy Inspector General of Police Violet Baruah tweeted: “#assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that is harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons.”

    She appealed to the people to inform the police if they come across any objectionable posts on social media.

  • 14 arrested in state for posting content supporting Taliban on social media: Assam Police

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Fourteen people were arrested from across Assam for alleged social media posts supporting the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, police said on Saturday. The arrests were made since Friday night and they have been booked under different sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, IT Act and CrPC, a senior police officer said.

    “We were on alert and monitoring social media for inflammatory posts,” the officer said. Two people each were arrested from Kamrup Metropolitan, Barpeta, Dhubri and Karimganj districts, police said. One person each was arrested from Darrang, Cachar, Hailakandi, South Salmara, Goalpara and Hojai districts, they said.

    #assampolice are taking stern legal action against pro #Taliban comments in the social media platform that are harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice
    — Violet Baruah IPS (@violet_baruah) August 21, 2021
    DIG (BTAD) Violet Baruah said the Assam Police is taking stern legal action against pro-Taliban comments on social media that are harmful to national security. “We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice,” she tweeted.