SRINAGAR: Days after Taliban leadership said they wanted a cordial relationship with India and Pakistan, the group’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen claimed that they “have the right” to speak “for Muslims in Kashmir”.
Speaking to BBC Urdu 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 was quoted as saying.
Earlier, a top Taliban leader Anas Haqqani had said the group would not interfere with the Kashmir issue and called for an amicable relationship with India.
In an interview with CNN News18, Haqqani said, “Kashmir is not part of our jurisdiction and interference is against the policy. How can we do against our policy?”
The development came days after a meeting between the Taliban and the Indian government. In the first formal and publicly acknowledged contact, India’s Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.
India conveyed its concerns that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities. Following the meeting, the Taliban was reported as saying that they did not want to get involved in the issues between India and Pakistan.
