Taliban suspect India in Rabbani murder

ISLAMABAD: Majority of the Taliban groups fighting foreign troops in Afghanistan have once again strongly opposed talks with the US as most of the insurgent leaders are of the opinion that if motives for the assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani are carefully examined, it becomes clear that Rabbani has been killed only for being authorised to hold talks for establishment of peace.

This is the crux of the details of an informal but important meeting of different Taliban commanders in northern Afghanistan earlier this week. According to details received by The News here on Thursday, different Taliban groups were perplexed whether or not any of their commander might have killed Rabbani. Surprisingly, it has transpired now that the Taliban Movement or al-Qaeda was, however, not involved in the murder of Rabbani.

“Rather the Indian intelligence accomplished this task in a highly modern and effective manner because the peace efforts of Rabbani had reached a stage where the Indian lobby in Afghanistan was highly perturbed,” said a Taliban commander while talking to this correspondent on telephone from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

“The largest number of foreigners in Afghanistan from the Asian countries belongs to India while the Indians also have the most prominent role in the Afghan economy and trade,” said the Taliban commander, who wished not to be named.

In the informal meeting of Taliban commanders in Afghanistan this week, which can also be called a meeting of their Shura, a Taliban group based in Kunar claimed the Indian lobby in Afghanistan planned the assassination of Rabbani so that facts could be concealed.

The most important point in the minutes of the Taliban meeting received by The News was that the Taliban leadership decided not only to avenge the death of Rabbani but also to make public all the facts in this regard very soon. “IThe Taliban leaders also decided to include the expulsion of Indians from Afghanistan in their preconditions for holding talks just like the Taliban have been demanding in the past the withdrawal of the US and allied troops from Afghanistan,” the source said. “For the time being, Taliban may not again enter into a dialogue with the US or any of her allies.” 

When contacted for comments, former ISI chief Hamid Gul told The News that the US grip on Afghanistan has further weakened now as compared to the past and as the weather has also started changing, the US and allied troops are again facing stiff resistance from the Taliban.

Believing to a great extent in the Taliban stance that the Indian lobby got Rabbani assassinated, the said the Indian lobby in Afghanistan was making efforts since long to obstruct the Afghan peace process, as they did not want the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and that too through talks with the Taliban.

“Now the situation in Afghanistan is unfavourable for the US and her allies while there is a clear contradiction in the Afghan policy of the Pentagon and US State Department because of which the morale of the US troops has declined,” he remarked. “Therefore, even if the US and her allies want to hold talks with the Taliban or al-Qaeda in these circumstances, it does not seem possible for them,” he added.