INDIA FAILED TO READ SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN: OWAISI

India wasted several years without understanding the developments in Afghanistan. Instead of engaging with the Taliban in some sort of an informal or formal dialogue to ensure that Indian long-term interests are protected, time was wasted, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has said.

Recalling that he had raised the issue of the importance of having some channel of communication with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Owaisi said on Monday that India has invested $ 3 billion in infrastructure projects in that country. These projects include the Afghan Parliament building, Salma dam on Hari river, among others.

More than anything else, Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP, said, Afghanistan has several ungoverned areas and international security experts had confirmed that the likes of ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Jaish-e-Mohammed had established their core headquarters in such areas. This is a grave and serious worry for India, he said.

“For the last seven years, the Narendra Modi government has failed to read what is happening in Afghanistan. The so-called superpower that is the USA had to deploy 3,000 marines just to pull out its embassy staff. Imagine what India will need to do,” he said.

‘‘We know what Taliban stands for, we don’t agree with their regressive policies but can you imagine what Jaish, Al Qaeda and ISIS can do in those ungoverned spaces. It is definitely a huge problem for India. It can become an even bigger problem in future. I don’t know what our government will do. Right now the immediate priority is to evacuate all Indians and our embassy staff safety,” Owaisi said.

ASADUDDIN OWAISI, the Hyderabad MP, said, Afghanistan has several ungoverned areas and international security experts had confirmed that the likes of ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Jaish-eMohammed had established their core headquarters in such areas. This is a grave and serious worry.