UP Dy CM slams SP MP's sympathy for Taliban: 'What difference between Imran Khan & SP?'

Slamming Samajwadi Party Shafiqur Rahman Barq's remarks sympathising with the Taliban, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday chalked it to appeasement politics. Clubbing Congress, SP and BSP, he said that if such remarks were being made then what would be the difference between them and Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Taliban has currently grabbed power in Afghanistan as US troops withdrew.

UP Dy CM slams SP MP for Taliban sympathy

"Anything can happen in SP. These people in SP, BSP and Congress do appeasement politics. If they give such kind of remarks what is the difference between them and Imran Khan?," said Maurya.

SP MP sympathises with Taliban

Earlier in the day,  Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq sympathised with the Taliban calling their takeover of Afghanistan a 'struggle for freedom'. Comparing it to India's non-violent freedom struggle from the British Raj, Barq claimed that strong countries like Russia & America could not settle in Afghanistan against the Taliban's wishes. The terror group has offered amnesty to ex-Afghan govy officials and in talks with ex-President Hamid Karzai over power transition.

"When India was under British rule, our country fought for freedom. Now Taliban wants to free their country & run it. Taliban is a force that did not allow even strong countries like Russia & America to settle in their country," said Barq.

India evacuates its diplomatic staff

Earlier in the day, the Indian Embassy staff, their families and ITBP troops were evacuated from Kabul in the Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft as Taliban took control of the capital. To aid Indians stranded in Afghanistan, MHA has introduced “e-Emergency X-Misc Visa” - a  fast category of electronic visas to hasten the process for migrants. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval have spoken to their US counterparts regarding evacuation. India along with other countries like US, Germany, Canada have refused to officially recognise a Taliban government.

Panic and chaos reigned at Kabul airport as thousands of people attempted to flee from Afghanistan at the earliest on Monday. As per visuals, many civilians were injured on the tarmac as they rushed to get on the plane. At least seven people were killed at Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul after US troops opened fire, reports local news agency Tolo News. Three people also fell to their death while hanging onto a departing US plane's wheels. Many countries like UK, Germany, Canada and India are preparing for safe evacuation of its nationals from the war-torn nation. The Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday after major cities like Kandahar, Herat,  Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah fell without resistance as US troops retreat after 20 years from war-torn Afghanistan.