As Muslims we have the right to raise our voice for Kashmir: Taliban

TIL Desk/World/Kabul/ Amid India’s concerns that Afghanistan’s territory might be used for anti-India activities under the Taliban regime, the terror group has said that it has the right to raise its voice for Muslims anywhere, including in Kashmir. However, it added that the group does not have a policy of raising arms against any country. In an interview, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said: “We have this right, being Muslims, to raise our voice for Muslims in Kashmir, India, and any other country.”

“We will raise our voice and say that Muslims are your own people, your own citizens. They are entitled to equal rights under your laws,” he added, according to reports. Shaheen’s remarks are in contrast with the group’s earlier statements on Kashmir. Days after taking control of Kabul, the Taliban had said Kashmir is a “bilateral and an internal matter”.

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said India’s aim is to ensure that Afghanistan’s land is not used for terror activity of any kind. In the first formal and publicly acknowledged contact, Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai on Tuesday and conveyed India’s concerns that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism.