ARE TALIBAN A ‘TERROR ORGANISATION’? OMAR ABDULLAH ASKS CENTRE

JAMMU: A day after India initiated talks with the Taliban, Jammu And Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sought clarification from the Centre whether or not the group is a “terror organisation”.

Taking a dig at the Central government, Abdullah said: “Either Taliban are a terror organisation or not, please clarify to us how you see them. If they are not a terror group, then will you (Centre) move to United Nations and have it delisted as a terror organisation? Let their bank accounts start functioning then.” “If they are a terror group, why are you talking to them? How do you distinguish between the Taliban and other terror organisations?” he added.

India on Tuesday held a meeting with a Taliban leader in Doha at the latter’s request. Ambassador of India to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of the Taliban’s Political Office. The meeting took place at the Embassy of India, Doha.

The discussions focused on safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up, a statement by the external affairs ministry read.

Talking about Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said that it would be best if the Centre restores the complete statehood of J-K before moving ahead with elections. “We are ready for elections since 2019. Our only demand is that the Centre returns complete statehood to Jammu and Kashmir before moving ahead with the elections. Our other fights in Supreme Court, be it regarding Article 370 or August 5, will continue. But when everyone including the Home Minister of the state has promised to restore the statehood, then why delay?” he said

Dr Farooq Abdullah too had voiced his concern on the impact of the Taliban’s arrival in Afghanistan on Kashmir. He said, “Taliban’s influence will be felt. Where it will fall, how much will fall on America, how much will fall on Russia, how much will fall on China, I do not know. And we have to see how much impact it will have.”

Talking of the issue of security in the valley, Farooq added, “The issue of security needs attention. If Panchayat, DDC members want to work and progress, then their security is extremely important. Five workers from BJP were killed; one from the Apna Party was killed. God knows what will happen later.”