Taliban asks India to finish infrastructure projects
However, last week, the external affairs ministry clarified India has no role once the projects are completed and it would be up to the Afghan people to protect them.
Published: 18th August 2021 08:10 AM | Last Updated: 18th August 2021 12:54 PM | A+A A-
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, shakes hand with a journalist after his first news conference, in Kabul. (Photo | AP)
NEW DELHI: Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen has said they will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any other country and called on India to complete the infrastructure projects if New Delhi wished. “We will not allow any country or any group to use the soil of Afghanistan against anyone. This is clear. India has made projects, many reconstruction and infrastructure projects, and if they want, they can complete the incomplete projects because they are for the people,” Shaheen told a Pakistani news channel in Urdu. His remarks are the first after the Taliban seized power in Kabul on Monday.
New Delhi has hinted that it has opened channels of communication with the Taliban but is officially yet to recognise the group. India had recently withdrew all professionals working on development projects in 34 provinces of Afghanistan. India has a total investment of about $3 billion in the war-torn country and many important projects like the Shatoot Dam, Salma Dam, Afghanistan’s Parliament and many strategic roads have been built with Indian assistance.
However, last week, the external affairs ministry clarified India has no role once the projects are completed and it would be up to the Afghan people to protect them. Meanwhile, the Taliban spokesperson said the group’s policy does not allow if anyone wants to use Afghan soil for their objectives or for their military objectives or for their rivalries.
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