Support for Taliban, role in takeover of Afghanistan played by Pakistan: Report

Pakistan and its intelligence agency were crucial in safeguarding the Taliban and their takeover of Afghanistan, according to a top US lawmaker. He continued to say that it is disgusting to see Islamabad celebrating the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan which will bring ‘untold brutality to the Afghan people.

Steve Chabot, who is Co-Chair of the India Caucus, said in an address on Sunday that he applauds India for welcoming minorities in Afghanistan who have reason to fear persecution from the Taliban and their evil rule. ‘On the other hand, we all know that Pakistan and its intelligence services played a crucial role in nurturing the Taliban and ultimately enabling them to take over. Watching Pakistani officials celebrate the victory of this group that will cause untold brutality to the Afghan people is disgusting,’ Chabot said.

As the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15 evening, Ashraf Ghani fled the country as chaos broke out in the capital. Afghanistan’s airport saw a rush of Afghans seeking evacuation in the hope of being left behind. Over the past week, Afghans have flocked to the Kabul airport, where several countries, including India and the United States, are providing evacuation flights. Despite this, many people have died as a result of the chaos at Kabul airport.

Minority persecution
Pakistan, however, receives far less attention than it deserves in America for its own persecution of religious minorities. ‘We should educate our fellow citizens about these abuses’. In particular, he said, .persecution manifests itself in the form of kidnapping, forced conversion to Islam and forced marriage of Hindu girls to older Muslim men.

Read more: ‘Hundreds of fighters’ heading for holdout Panjshir Valley

A special category of visa has been established in India under which asylum seekers from Afghanistan can be granted visas under the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’. The ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’ can be applied for by all Afghans, irrespective of their religion, and the applications will be processed in New Delhi. Due to India’s historical ties with the Afghan people, reports indicate that the country will prioritize granting visas to civil society members, opinion leaders, women activists, students, and NGO workers from Afghanistan due to the current situation in the country.