Afghanistan is not heading back to the “dark age” as 40 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) are currently fighting a war on terror, said the country’s envoy to India Farid Mamundzay. After the withdrawal of the NATO forces, it was expected that the country would have to face a difficult period, he added.
“We are not heading to a dark age. We need to remember there were 40+ NATO member countries fighting a war on terror. After their withdrawal, this was expected that we would be going through a difficult period,” the Afghan ambassador was quoted as saying by news agency ANI on Friday.
Speaking on ties with India, Mamundzay said it has been a major partner of Afghanistan and can play a constructive role in “our peace process, together with other regional actors”. “India can utilise its convening power to put more pressure on the Taliban through diplomatic channels to come to the negotiating table,” he said while urging the latter to cease violence as the process of withdrawal of US troops nears completion.
“We are concerned over the intensity of violence and we call on the Taliban that they need to cease violence since the withdrawal of international forces is complete to a larger extent. It’s time to put an end to the bloodshed of innocent people,” he said.
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Mamundzay’s statement came hours after AFP reported that Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Delawar has claimed the group now controls “85 percent of Afghanistan’s territory”, roughly covering some 250 of the country’s 398 districts. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also spoke about Taliban’s growing influence in the region, as the group “currently controls about two-thirds” of the country’s border with Tajikistan.
More than 1,000 Afghan soldiers were forced to flee to Tajikistan this week after clashing with the Taliban, marking the third time this month Taliban has forced troops to flee to save their lives. Regarding the recent spate of violence, the envoy said, “Over 3,600 people have been killed since April, civilians alone. Close to 1,000 soldiers have been martyred, over 3000 have been wounded. So the cost that we pay with human lives is unparalleled.”
Mamundzay said there have been no talks on closing the Indian consulate in his country as there is no immediate security threat. “The people of Afghanistan value and want the presence of Indian consulates, its decision for the people and government to make with the Indian government. We see no immediate threat. There are no such talks on closing Indian consulates,” he said.
He also spoke about the presence of Shuras in Pakistan which he said was “something of great concern to us”. “Their families still live there. They have the support and infrastructure currently present in Pakistan, we would want to see that changed.”
Meanwhile, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who held a meeting with Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during the day said the situation in Afghanistan occupied a lot of our attention because it has a direct implication for regional security. “We believe that the immediate need of the day is really a reduction in violence,” he said.
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US President Joe Biden told reporters on Thursday that US troops will completely withdraw from the war-ravaged country on August 31, while stating that America did not go to Afghanistan to “nation build” and that “Afghan leaders have to come together and drive toward a future”. The Biden administration’s plan to evacuate thousands of Afghans who helped the US military as translators, informers, and drivers during their deployment, is also under intense scrutiny from many Congressional lawmakers.
