Farooq Abdullah desires 'friendly' India-Taliban ties; blames US for Afghanistan crisis

Reiterating his endorsement of the Taliban government, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah blamed the US for the crisis in Afghanistan on Saturday. While conceding that terrorism is a global menace, he indicated that the US is responsible for its spread because of its interventionist policy. According to him, India should not only engage with the new regime in the war-torn country but also develop friendly ties with the terror outfit in order to safeguard its $3 billion investment. Moreover, he dismissed the apprehension that the Taliban will eventually foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir. 

NC president Farooq Abdullah remarked, "There is no doubt that terrorism is affecting the whole world. Who started terrorism? Who attacked Iraq? Who is responsible for what is happening in Syria? What happened in Libya? Who bombed it despite the United Nations saying not to do it? Please tell me who is a terrorist country- the country that destabilised other countries. They were in Afghanistan for 20 years. Why did they run away? Why couldn't they win the hearts of the Afghans in 20 years?"

The ex-J&K CM added, "Afghanistan is an independent country. The Taliban have come there. India has spent nearly three billion dollars to improve the situation there. We built the Parliament, roads, hospitals, schools and what not. Even today, the Afghans are staying here and no one troubles them. We should talk to the Afghanistan government. That government is not going to go. Now that you have already spent so much money there, what is the difficulty in forging friendship? Do we want enmity with them too?"

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. Since then, several persons have lost their lives in the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport with thousands of people desperately trying to flee the country. This includes the death of at least 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport on August 26. This led to US airstrikes on terrorists belonging to ISIS-K which claimed responsibility for this attack.

On August 31, the Taliban gained control of the Kabul airport after the last batch of US troops left Afghanistan. Though the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a 33-member caretaker Cabinet which neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes. While Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's Rehbari Shura, is the new Prime Minister, he has two deputies in Mullah Baradar and Mawlavi Hanafi. So far, the terror outfit's rule has been marked by repression of women's rights, restrictions on media, economic crisis and atrocities on Panjshir residents.