Article In Urdu Daily ‘Roznama Jasarat’ Examines Growing Ties Between Afghan Taliban, China, U.S., And India: ‘America Was Forced To Exit Afghanistan; Now, It Wants To Occupy Afghanistan In A Different Way’; ‘ISIS… Is Being Patronized By America’

In a recent article, Pakistani writer Wajeeh Ahmed Siddiqui examined the current intricacies of relations between America, the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, India, China, and Pakistan.

The article, titled “The Taliban In Modi’s Lap,” follows a series of attacks in Afghanistan that appear to have been against Chinese and Pakistani interests, especially the attacks on the Pakistani Embassy and a hotel in Kabul at which Chinese nationals were staying.

The article by Wajeeh Ahmed Siddiqui, who is a journalist and senior editor, appeared in Roznama Jasarat, the Urdu-language daily of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, the largest religious organization in Pakistan, which is known for supporting Islamists and jihadi groups.

Following is the text of the article, as translated from Urdu:

“In December This Year, The Taliban Announced That They Are Giving Permission To India To Re-Start Its Incomplete Projects In Afghanistan; What Is The Reason For This Love Between India And The Taliban?”

“The attacks occurring in Afghanistan against Pakistan and China have created doubts and suspicions about the Taliban government, that terror attacks of similar nature against the two countries [took place] within a month and a single terror organization, Daesh (ISIS), took responsibility for the same.

“One doubt is also: whether the Taliban’s new government has been made by America? Five Taliban leaders who took part in the Doha negotiations had been prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Of them, four are now ministers in the Taliban cabinet – Mullah Khairkhwa is the minister for information and culture. Abdul Haq Wasiq is the director of intelligence. Mullah Fazal Mazloom is the deputy defense minister. Mullah Noorullah Nuri is the minister for border and tribal affairs. And there is no information about Muhammad Nabi Qamri as to what he is. All these persons were participants in the Doha agreement.

“The British think tank ‘International Institute of Strategic Studies’ has revealed, in its latest report ‘Strategic Survey 2022,’ that the Afghan Taliban and India are restless to establish bilateral and trustworthy relations. It has been said in the report that the Taliban have interest in relations with India for three reasons. Because, they have hope that due to close political and economic relations with India foreign investment will come [to Afghanistan] and the regional trade will flourish.

“According to the British intelligence [sic] report, the second reason for harmonizing relations with India is that the Taliban want the end of all types of threats to their government. And the third reason is also that [if] India will accept their government, then due to good relations with it, Afghanistan will get humanitarian aid and help in development.

“India’s relations with the Taliban have speeded up since June 2022 when the Taliban’s talks with India began. In December of this year, the Taliban announced that they are giving India permission to re-start its incomplete projects in Afghanistan. What is the reason for this love between India and the Taliban? India was the enemy of the Taliban, and it has also produced several movies against them in which the Taliban are ridiculed.

“But now, the Taliban are giving India the permission to complete its 20 incomplete projects. India had invested three billion dollars in Afghanistan during the rule of President Ashraf Ghani and had opened unnecessary consulates in Afghanistan’s border areas near Pakistan. Now the Taliban are giving India to complete its incomplete agenda. India has offered an olive branch that if it accepts them, then the world will accept them.”

“America Wants The Chinese Investment To Exit Afghanistan”; “After The Taliban Came [To Power In August 2021], China Offered To Construct A Trade Highway In The Wakhan Corridor”

“America was forced to exit Afghanistan. Now, it wants to occupy Afghanistan in a different way. For this, it is preparing the Western-educated class of Afghanistan for a fight against the Taliban. For this, it is preparing for attacks from all sides. America left Afghanistan in this situation intentionally so that people there do not find an opportunity [in the ensuing lawlessness] to make decisions. America left Afghanistan overnight contrary to the expectations of America’s supporters and anti-Taliban Afghan public.

“On the other side, the Taliban’s extremist behavior is troubling people. For example, the total ban on women’s education is not only unacceptable to the world, but also to the Muslim world.

“This time America is trapping them through India. This is the reason that America has given many projects to India in Afghanistan. India does not have a regular ambassador in Afghanistan, but the Indian charge d’affairs Bharat Kumar’s activities are numerous; he has held a meeting with the Taliban’s Minister for Urban Development and Housing Hamdullah Nurani, [proposing] that if India’s incomplete projects are complete, then as a result jobs will be created in Afghanistan. Whereas, China had made a bigger offer than this to the Taliban, that in comparison with India’s three billion dollars, the Chinese investment is one trillion dollars.

“America wants the Chinese investment to exit Afghanistan. China had invested in Afghanistan when America was present in Afghanistan. But after the Taliban came [to power in August 2021], China offered to construct trade highway on Wakhan Corridor. Wakhan – which is also called Wakhan Corridor, Wakhan Strip, and Wakhan Pathway – is situated in Pakistan’s northernmost area, Gilgit Baltistan, along the Chinese province of Xinjiang, Afghanistan’s Badakhshan, and Tajikistan, and in Afghanistan’s province of Badakhshan is a remote district where even the basic necessities of life are available with difficulty.

“In fact, Wakhan is a mountainous area comprising narrow terrain between these countries. The length of this strip is 310 kilometers from the east to the west and the width is 13 kilometers, which at one point constricts to 10 kilometers. Wakhan’s river is called Aab-e-Panja and it begins in the Khyber Glacier and joins the Amu River.

“From Wakhan, several canyons connect to other areas and countries. There are four creeks among these which connect Wakhan to Pakistan. The Broghil Canyon connects Wakhan to Chitral and Yaseen (while Darra Pass connects Chitral to Badakhshan). Karambar Pass connects Ishkoman township in Ghizer district to Wakhan, while it brings Irshad Hunza Pass and Wakhan closer. These passes have for centuries been the means of travel between these areas. In 1893, the British Colonial Indian government, the Czarist Russian government, and Afghanistan signed an agreement. According to this agreement, Wakhan was declared an independent region. This division is also called the Durand Line [setting the international border].

“At Present, America Is Practically Patronizing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement Of Uzbekistan (IMU), Islamic Jihad Union, Jamaat Ansarullah, Jundallah, And Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) – So That Lawlessness Can Be Created In China”

“China – from Xinjiang to Kabul and Pakistani areas – wants to build a highway. However, its only demand from the Taliban [government in Kabul] is that the Taliban not shelter the fighters of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement [ETIM, the jihadi group comprising of mainly Uyghur mujahideen].

“And America is continuously engaging in propaganda against China that, ‘China is crushing human rights in Xinjiang and it has refused to give religious freedom to Muslims.’ Whereas, America is forgetting this point that Muslims in India do not have complete freedom for sacrifice [of animals at Eid Al-Adha] according to their religious beliefs.

“At present, America is practically patronizing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Islamic Jihad Union, Jamaat Ansarullah, Jundallah, and Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) – so that lawlessness can be created in China.

“America has called these organizations the Islamic State of Khurasan [ISIS-K] whose functional area is from Xinjiang to Badakhshan province of Afghanistan and some areas of Tajikistan. Currently, Uyghur fighters are undergoing training in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. America, during its occupation of Afghanistan, aided these groups immensely.

“Afghan Taliban have fought their country’s independence war against America. Their character is such that they have not intervened in any other country. But they are not distinguishing between Islamic rules and their traditions. Women have a lead role in Islamic society; they cannot be kept away from education. The Taliban’s order banning women from getting educated is clearly against the orders of Islam and Allah’s Messenger [Muhammad].”

“Insofar As China Is Concerned, We Can Talk About The Religious Freedom Of Muslims In Xinjiang, But It Is Not Right To Aid Those Who Create Lawlessness In Their Country As Part Of The American Agenda”

“Now, insofar as China is concerned, we can talk about the religious freedom of Muslims in Xinjiang, but it is not right to aid those who create lawlessness in their country as part of the American agenda. The Taliban should also bear in mind the changes occurring in the region. The relations between Saudi Arabia and China are increasing, which has caused concern for America and India.

“Now only Afghanistan remains where it can take revenge against China and Pakistan. The recent suicide bombing in Islamabad of Pakistan, the siege of the Counter-Terrorism Department center in Bannu, the border clash between India and China which occurred on December 9 on the border of Arunachal Pradesh about which India alleged that the Chinese were entering Indian areas while six Indian troops got wounded in it, then unknown armed people on December 12 attacked a hotel in Kabul in which Chinese nationals were staying and several Chinese people got injured whose responsibility was taken by the ISIS which is being patronized by America.

“Before this, the same organization [ISIS] attacked the Pakistani Embassy on December 2 in which a Pakistani security guard was wounded, and the real target was the embassy’s charge d’affairs.

“These incidents prove that America and India are behind these attacks who want to create difficulties for Pakistan and China. The leaders of [India’s ruling party] Bharatiya Janata Party have announced a reward of 20 million rupees on the head of Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari for issuing a statement against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi [describing him as the Butcher of Muslims in Gujarat]. Its clear meaning is that that the Bharatiya Janata Party is an international terrorist organization. America has already earlier described Narendra Modi as the Butcher of Gujrat, but now it does not see terrorism of Modi and his party in India and Kashmir.

“Now it is being proved that India has ties with the established terror organizations of the world in which the TTP and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement are especially included in the top. The Taliban, rejecting friendship with China, are now getting entangled in the web spun by America. The Taliban have provided shelter to the world’s so-called jihadi organizations without knowing what their agenda is.

“The Taliban should see that Pakistan is their neighbor which has borne the allegation of aiding them for years and has ignored their activities in Pakistan too. The Taliban should understand that Afghanistan’s lone path of transit trade is Pakistan. The annual turnover of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is about two billion dollars. China has invested a trillion dollars in Afghanistan, including many projects on mines. Whereas India’s total investment is three billion dollars, the objective of which was to sit in Afghanistan and spy on India’s neighboring country [Pakistan].

“For China and Pakistan, a peaceful Afghanistan is a guarantee for economic progress. Whether there is or is not peace in Afghanistan is not a concern for America and India. However, it is the desire of both these countries that peace should not be established in any situation in Pakistan and China. Therefore, the Taliban should act sensibly and befriend their neighbors, rather than increasing friendship with their enemies.”