Kashmir ‘bilateral, internal issue’, say Taliban

• Shubham
• 20 August, 2021

Follow Us

By: Shubham Ghosh

WHILE security experts in India remained anxious over the repercussions of Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in the region, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the extremist group has said that it is a “bilateral and an internal matter”.

News agency ANI said this on social media platform Twitter, quoting people familiar with the development. It also said that the Taliban, which returned to power on August 15 after a gap of almost 20 years, is unlikely to focus on Kashmir.

ALSO READ: Not all Sikhs stranded in Afghanistan want an Indian shelter

Kashmir saw an impact after Soviets pulled out from Afghanistan in late 1980s

The sources said security in the Kashmir Valley has been raised amid concerns over a heightened militancy in Kashmir. The Indian security apparatus is afraid that history might get repeated in Kashmir. When the troops of the former Soviet Union pulled out from Afghanistan in 1988-89 after nine years of occupation, Kashmir saw a surge of battle-hardened ‘mujahideens’ from not just Pakistan and Afghanistan but also from other nations, making their way into the then Indian state. Kashmir had seen tumultuous times then.

Taliban visit closed Indian consulates in Afghanistan, take away vehicles

This time too, the security challenge could be high as sources said that prominent terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed have its cadres fighting alongside the Taliban and the dreaded Haqqani Network in the war-torn country. Other Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi also have a presence in Afghanistan and they are known to have set up checkpoints in some villages and parts of national capital Kabul, with the Taliban’s assistance.

“There are security concerns that #Afghanistan might become the first epicenter of Islamic terrorism which has a state, they have access to all the weapons which Americans have supplied and also the weapons of 3 lakh plus Afghan National Army personnel,” the ANI tweet said, quoting the official.

Security experts warn that Taliban’s return to power would not have been possible without Pakistan’s direct help and it complicates the security situation for India.