Kashmir is an internal issue, Taliban wants excellent relations with India

New Delhi – Taliban leader Stanikzai had assured the Indian ambassador to Qatar that Afghanistan’s land would not be allowed to be used against India. He also assured the security of the Indian and minority communities in Afghanistan. Within a day, Anas Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network, an anti-India group in the Taliban, said he wanted better relations with India. Moreover, he said that his organization had no ties with Kashmir. It seems that the Taliban is trying to coney India that it will not mould as per Pakistan’s demand.

Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met Taliban leader Stanikzai. The Taliban demanded the visit, and Stanikzai is the head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar. This is the first official discussion between India and the Taliban. It has received international media attention. Stanikzai said that India is a vital country in the region and the Taliban expects good relations with India. He also demanded that Pakistan open the way for Afghanistan to trade with India. Reactions emerged from Pakistan over this Taliban demand.

Trade transportation was active from Afghanistan to India when Ashraf Ghani’s government was in power in Afghanistan. Pakistan kept the pathway open for this. But Pakistan did not allow India to send products to Afghanistan. For this, India had developed the port of Chabahar and created a trade route for Afghanistan through Iran. In such a scenario, the Taliban demanded that Pakistan open the way for trade with India.

Not only that, but Stanikzai has also announced that the Taliban will support Iran’s Chabahar port project. Anas Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani Network, now a major group in the Taliban, also said he expects better relations with India. Earlier, the Haqqani network was behind terrorist attacks on Indian embassies and its interests in Afghanistan. It was revealed that the Haqqani network was carrying out anti-India activities at the behest of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, ISI.

In such a scenario, Anas Haqqani’s statement about India could be a big shock for Pakistan. Moreover, Anas Haqqani also tried to reassure India that his organization has nothing to do with the Kashmir issue. Kashmir is not part of their jurisdiction. It is not their policy to intervene in another region. Therefore, they will not interfere in the Kashmir issue because doing that would be against their policy. As a result, even the most outspoken anti-India groups within the Taliban now seem to be signalling a change in their attitude.

The Taliban will no longer dance to the Pakistani tunes, is the message being conveyed by various Taliban groups. On the other hand, there are indications that differences between the Taliban and Pakistan are growing. Despite this, India has decided to take precise steps by taking a very cautious stance on the Taliban.