News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban

  • AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s poser to Centre on Taliban

    Express News Service

    PATNA: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the Taliban a ‘terrorist-outfit’ and place it under the UAPA with immediate effect. Addressing a gathering in Patna, Owaisi said, “Who is stopping the Centre from declaring the Taliban a terrorist outfit?  I have been saying since 2013 that emergence of Taliban could become a serious concern in future to India, but it might benefit Pakistan and China,” Owaisi said.

    When asked about his decision to field mafia don-turned-politicians Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahamad as the AIMIM candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said: “Why don’t you ask the same question of the BJP whose 37% MLA in UP have criminal cases against them? Why not one talks about Pragya Thakur? Is her image clean?” 

    On Atiq Ahmed, Owaisi said: “He is a citizen of India and unless and until he is proven guilty, he is eligible to fight elections.” He said his party would contest at least 100 seats in UP. Lashing out at the NDA on the issues of CAA and NRC, Owaisi said the government has committed a ‘strategic blunder’ in its attempt to corner the minority people. He also lashed out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming he had failed completely on the development front. “Incompetent government resorts to survive on sloganeering,” Owaisi said in an apparent reference to Yogi’s Abbajan barb.

  • Taliban is in Afghanistan, let us talk about farmers, issues of India: Mehbooba Mufti

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Lets talk about problems faced by people in this country rather than Afghanistan, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said on Tuesday, having faced flak over her recent statement referring to the Taliban.

    She alleged that the BJP government has made the lives of the people miserable.

    The government is not listening to anyone, including the farmers who are on the roads for the past nine months, Mufti added.

    “Taliban are in Afghanistan and why talk about them? We have a lot of issues, the biggest being the farmers’ protest and the issues of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which was bifurcated, rampant corruption and the lack of development.

    “They are claiming that Article 370 was removed for parity but even tenders for our minor minerals and jobs are given to outsiders.

    Taliban is there but let’s talk about our issues as the BJP has made the condition of the people of our country so miserable that they are not even able to buy ration,” she told reporters in Poonch, where she reached on the first leg of her over a week-long tour of Jammu region.

    Reacting to a question about the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mufti said farmers provide food for the people of the country but the BJP government has left them on the roads.

    “This government is unmoved, which is very unfortunate. They are talking a lot but the fact of the matter is that they do not respect anyone,” she claimed.

    Last week, the PDP chief had said the Taliban had “come to the fore as a reality” and advised them to follow the true Sharia law that guarantees rights of women, children, and the elderly if they want to govern Afghanistan.

    The comment led to criticism by sections of the media as well as on social media platforms.

    A day later, she said she was not surprised her statement on Sharia was deliberately distorted and used as ‘click bait’ because Muslims are always expected to prove they don’t stand for violence.

    Responding to a question on the upcoming Assembly elections in the union territory, Mufti said, “Election is not my objective. My stand is clear that I will continue my struggle for restoration of the prestige, identity and rights of our people which were snatched from us unconstitutionally. I will continue to work to seek a solution to the Kashmir problem so that bloodshed is stopped.”

    On reaching Poonch, the PDP president said, “The twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri have given a lot of love and respect to us. I have come to see the problems being faced by them.”

  • 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.

  • Digvijaya Singh equates RSS with Taliban, claims they have similar ideology on women

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Taliban have a similar ideology on women.

    “Taliban says that women are not fit to be ministers. Mohan Bhagwat said women should stay at home and take care of the household. Aren’t these similar ideologies?” he tweeted.

    Digvijaya Singh further asked the Centre to clarify its stand on the “Taliban government” in Afghanistan.

    “The Modi-Shah government will now have to clarify whether India will recognize the Taliban government in which members of a declared terrorist organization are ministers?”, he said in a tweet.

    Earlier, Singh had targetted RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat while speaking at “Saampradaayik Sadbhaavana Sammelan” (communal harmony conference) organised in Indore on Wednesday and alleged that the organisation was dividing the Hindu Muslim communities by spreading lies and misconceptions.

    Reacting to Bhagwat’s comments that the DNA of Hindus and Muslims being one, Singh asked “why were issues like love jihad being raised if that was the case?”

    “RSS has been doing the politics of divide and rule for ages. They are dividing the two communities by spreading lies and misconceptions,” Singh had alleged. (ANI)

  • Hope formation of new Afghan govt will end four decades of conflict: Hurriyat Conference

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday expressed hope that the formation of the new government in Afghanistan will put an end to four decades of conflict and uncertainty in the country.

    The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1.

    It took over Kabul on August 15 and on Tuesday, unveiled a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund.

    ​ALSO READ | Uncertainty has spread everywhere; current developments in Afghan one such example: Rajnath

    Hoping that the new dispensation in the worn-torn country is inclusive and broad based, the Hurriyat said it must bear in mind that Islam as a religion is unambiguous in advocating human equality and rights, economic fairness and religious tolerance as foundational values.

    “After the unfolding of confusing and chaotic events in Afghanistan during the past month, the Hurriyat hopes that the formation of the new government will put an end to four decades of ceaseless conflict and uncertainty,” the amalgam said in a statement here.

    The Hurriyat said the amalgam understands that no two conflict regions are the same and the differences between Afghanistan and Kashmir are well-known.

    ALSO READ | Delhi HC refuses to allow man to go to Afghanistan, says bleak chance of returning

    However, “we in Kashmir can surely empathise with the common people of the country who also have been living in a state of acute uncertainty for 40 years”, it said.

    “Long term uncertainty takes its toll and we hope that people of Afghanistan will come out of it soon.

    We also hope that as the country begins the process of building its own future and realising its aspirations, all regional and international member countries will extend their support to it,” the statement said.

    The Hurriyat wishes the citizens of Afghanistan peace and progress in their land and stability for the region, the separatist amalgam said.

  • ‘Better to wait before judging new Taliban’

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  India is ready to give time to the Taliban to stay true to its words before any judgement is made about their intentions, said a senior government functionary on Wednesday. 

    Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said, “As of now, the Taliban has said it will not interfere with Kashmir. So let’s not doubt their statement.” Replying to the question of the Taliban’s effect on Kashmir, the source added, “We are prepared to handle any situation in Kashmir. There have been the presence of foreign terrorists earlier also and we had successfully dealt with them.

    Anas Haqqani had told the media last week that Kashmir is not part of its jurisdiction. But, within two days, Suhail Shaheen had said that as Muslims, the Taliban has rights to support Muslims in Kashmir or any other country. But Taliban leader Sher Muhammed Stanakzai had asked India to continue with its development and humanitarian activities.

    The officer pointed out that if the Taliban has not changed from what it was 20 years back, then it will be a problem for the world and India. More than that it will be a problem for the women of Afghanistan. 

  • Terror faces in Afghan Cabinet makes New Delhi uneasy

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  With the Taliban appointing several UN-sanctioned terrorists in its Cabinet, including Siraj Haqqani of the Haqqani Network, security concerns have grown in New Delhi. Experts believe the Taliban’s move was not surprising and that New Delhi would be prepared to deal with the new Taliban government in Afghanistan despite the presence of Haqqani, who is considered close to the ISI and Al-Qaeda.

    “There is a wider section of people asserting that the Taliban government will lead to augmented insecurity in India. However, the situation is still unfolding and there are strong apprehensions that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border will become more volatile and force Islamabad to maintain its focus more in that region. More importantly, it is pertinent to recall that the biggest threat to Indian security for long has been from ISI, which has used its terror proxies operating out of Pakistani soil against India,” said Ajit Kumar Singh, Research Fellow at the Institute of Conflict Management.

    “There was never a period when ISI was not relentless in its nefarious design to destabilise India. Yet, India has minimised the threat due to the security establishment attuning itself as per demands of the new challenges,” added Singh.

    Russia-based analyst Andrew Korybko said although New Delhi may have concerns over Haqqani’s presence in the Cabinet, it cannot do anything about it. “At most, New Delhi can refuse to recognise the acting government or pragmatically engage with it while pressuring others to do the same. But if someone else decides to still engage with it, India will be powerless to stop them. It can only rely on informational means to discredit these authorities,” he said.

    Singh thinks the Indian security establishment has gained experience in counter-terrorism. “Consequently, there is no such imminent threat due to change of guard in Afghanistan. But there is no scope for complacency and vigil on ground must be increased.”

    ALSO READ | India, Russia share Afghanistan terror overflow worry

    Security concerns have been high since Tuesday after the Taliban declared the formation of its government. Haqqani’s inclusion caught the attention of officials in New Delhi as his group had been involved in bombing at the Indian Embassy in Kabul. He is known to have close ties with anti-India organisations.

    A former diplomat, who did not wish to be named, said there was no surprise in the inclusion of UN-sanctioned terrorists. “I am sure this came as no surprise to New Delhi. The challenge now will be to make sure that Afghan soil is not used by anti-India organisations to spread terror. India must keep engaging with the Taliban and also partner countries to put pressure on them to ensure that Afghan soil does not become a safe haven for terrorists,” he said.

  • India, Russia share Afghanistan terror overflow worry

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  With terror inextricably linked to the DNA of the government unveiled by the Taliban in Afghanistan, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday held separate meetings with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev and CIA chief Williams Burns. During the Doval-Patrushev meeting both sides agreed to coordinate their approaches in multilateral formats on the developments in Afghanistan.

    The Indian stress was on pressuring Pakistan to put a lid on terror overflow from Afghanistan. “We conveyed to the Russians that Pakistan has a special responsibility to ensure that Afghanistan soil is not used to spread terrorism,” sources said.

    Regarding the agenda of the Doval-Patrushev meeting, top officials said the political, security and humanitarian situation in the war-torn country and its possible implications on India and China was discussed at length. The role of drug cartels was also discussed with Doval and his counterpart assuring each other of cooperation to meet current and future threats and measures to assist Afghanistan.

    Doval is understood to have underlined Pakistan deep state’s symbiotic links with terror groups in Afghanistan, such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. He also expressed concern over security of minorities like Afghan Hindus and Sikhs who could not be evacuated.

    Patrushev later met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The two sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen coordination in the field of enhancing regional stability, including on the Afghan direction,” a Russian Embassy statement said.

    The India-Russia meeting assumes significance as weeks ago, Russia and China had abstained from voting on a joint India-France-US-UK resolution on Afghanistan at the UN Security Council. Earlier in the day, New Delhi shared its Afghan concerns with visiting security heads of Britain and the US, MI-6 chief Richard Moore and CIA chief William Burns, respectively. 

    Call to curb terrorBoth Russia and India agreed on the need for Taliban to adhere to promises, curb global terror groups operating out of Afghanistan and their consequent threat to Central Asia and India, and smuggling

  • Mehbooba Mufti says Taliban will have to follow true Sharia that guarantees rights of all

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The Taliban, which has taken over the reins of Afghanistan, must follow true Sharia, which guarantees rights of all, including women, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday.

    The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1.

    It took over Kabul on August 15 and on Tuesday, unveiled a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund.

    ALSO READ | ‘Fake claims of normalcy exposed’: Mehbooba accuses J&K authorities of putting her under house arrest

    “Taliban has come to the fore as a reality. Its image in the first time in power was that of anti-human rights. If it wants to govern Afghanistan, it will have to follow the true Sharia law as laid down in the Quran which guarantees rights of women, children and elderly,” she told reporters after a function here.

    If the Taliban follows the example of governance set by Prophet Muhammad in Madina, it will set an example for the world, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

    She said that the Taliban should shun the hardline interpretation of Islam and Sharia if it wants to do business with the international community.

    “If it does not, it will make matters difficult for the people of Afghanistan,” Mehbooba added.

  • Taliban take over: Afghanistan crisis hits Ludhiana’s sewing machine industry

    By ANI

    LUDHIANA: The sewing machine industry in Ludhiana is fearing heavy losses due to the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and regime change.

    While speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Jagjit Singh Sokhi, the president of Sewing Machines Industries, Ludhiana, expressed fears of impending losses due to the Afghanistan crisis.

    He said that every year, 1.5 lakh sewing machines, 5-6 lakhs spare parts were sent to Afghanistan and Rs. 150-200 crores were earned annually from the business. But now, the industry was set to lose out due to the change in regime.

    “The Afghanistan crisis is a huge blow to us, especially after Covid. Afghanistan takes a lot of our machines, they are supplied in bulk to Afghanistan. We expect a 40 per cent downfall in our trade. This is done either through Pakistan, Dubai or directly to Afghanistan. The crisis in Afghanistan has further hit the industry,” Sokhi said.

    He pointed out that the sewing machine industry started in Ludhiana in 1942.

    “Machines produced here are famous for their quality. Besides being sold domestically, they are exported to the Middle East, several Islamic countries too because embroidery is really popular in these countries. There are 6000 units, both big and small in Ludhiana and the turnover is around Rs. 1200-1500 crores,” he said.

    Samandeep Singh, another industrialist said, “Our family has been in this industry for the past 50 years. 70 per cent of our exports go to Afghanistan. But this power crisis has impacted our business. Exports have stopped for the past two months. Our existing orders, payments have stopped. Production has been reduced by 50 per cent. Future does not look good.”

    “It is a labour-oriented job. We will have to stop our work. Labour will be unemployed. Government must think about this,” Samandeep said.