All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan the most, as it is controlled by that country’s intelligence agency the Inter-Services Intelligence. Mr Owaisi was speaking late on Friday night at the Jalsa-e-Shahadat-e-Imam Hussain, an event coinciding with the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hazrat Imam Hussain.
“Pakistan has got the biggest advantage of this (takeover),” Mr Owaisi said. He added, “Security experts are now saying that Al Qaeda and Daesh (Islamic State), have reached large areas in Afghanistan where there is nothing for 300 km or 400 km, no governance at all. Jaish-e-Muhammad, which indulges in acts of terrorism in the name of the Prophet, including those at Parliament, and the hijacking of the aircraft, they are now in Helmand. ISI fully controls the Taliban, remember this. ISI is India’s enemy, and uses Taliban as a puppet,” Mr Owaisi said.
Mr Owaisi said that the takeover would benefit China as well. He touched upon the agreement between China and Iran and said that the former intends to have access by road through Kabul to Iran. “What are you (Prime Minister) doing to stop this? Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, by means of Quad agreement with America, will not have transportation through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Turkmenistan to Kabul. America has done this. And you are busy hugging Trump,” Mr Owaisi said.
Mr Owaisi criticised those terming Taliban chief Akhundzada as ‘ amir-ul-mumineen ’ (leader of the faithful). “What amir-ul-mumineen are you?"
He criticised the Centre for not heeding to his three speeches made since 2013 in Parliament, in which he urged entering into talks with Taliban.
Published - August 20, 2021 12:50 am IST
