 "Muttaqi to meet industry bodies, talk opportunities in Afghanistan")
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday -- the fourth day of his weeklong tour to India -- said that he will meet the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci) members on Monday as well as members of other industry bodies later to discuss the opportunities in his country, especially in the mining sector.
The Taliban, who now control Afghanistan, is seeking to repair its ties with New Delhi, and is hopeful of Indian public and private sectors increasing investments in the mining and power sector, and greater trade and commerce.
New Delhi has committed to restart its development projects in Afghanistan. Muttaqi’s visit to India comes amid the Taliban’s relations with Islamabad hitting a low with border clashes reported between the two since Thursday, which coincided with his landing in India.
Amid hostilities between the Taliban and Pakistani forces, the Afghan foreign minister accused “some quarters” in Pakistan for trying to create problems. Muttaqi also said that the Taliban achieved its objectives in the Saturday night clashes, and that there were no members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, in Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused the Taliban regime of sheltering TTP terrorists, which it blames for a series of attacks inside Pakistan.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan military claimed that it killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in border clashes with Afghanistan, and admitted to 23 Pakistani soldiers being killed. In Kabul, the Taliban government said its forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers. The border clashes took place days after Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out airstrikes inside Afghan territory.
In New Delhi, Muttaqi said Afghanistan wants peaceful resolution of its conflict with Pakistan but if the efforts don’t succeed, it was capable of deploying “other means”. “We have good relations with the people of Pakistan and the government, but some elements in that country are trying to create problems,” he said. “My country, as history is evidence, is fiercely united in confronting any ‘external invasion’,” he added.
The Afghan foreign minister said friendly countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, contacted Kabul and conveyed that the fighting should stop. “From our side, we have stopped the fighting, and the situation is under control,” he said.
Apprising the media about his talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday, Muttaqi said soon there will be Kabul-Delhi passenger flights, and air cargo flights between the Indian cities of Amritsar, Delhi and Mumbai and Afghan cities of Kabul and Kandahar. He said Kabul and New Delhi will set up a joint committee for looking at trade issues, and India will issue more visas to Afghan nationals for studying in India and for medical treatment.
‘Technical issue’: Muttaqi on ‘barring’ of women journalists from his press meet
Muttaqi landed in India on Thursday, held talks with Jaishankar on Friday, and also addressed a press conference on that day at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi, which sparked a controversy for reportedly excluding and turning away women journalists. Muttaqi visited the Deoband seminary on Saturday, but his plan to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal on Sunday was cancelled.
Muttaqi held another press conference at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon, which lasted almost two hours. At the media briefing, Muttaqi sought to clarify that the absence of women from his press conference on Friday was “more a technical issue and (there were) no other problems”, attributing the problem to the list of journalists that was provided to his staff.
Women journalists were present in significant numbers at Muttaqi’s press conference on Sunday.
Opposition leaders and journalists’ organisations had slammed the reported barring of women journalists from Muttaqi’s press conference on Friday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday clarified that it had “no involvement in the press interaction” held at the Afghanistan Embassy on Friday.
On treatment of women, Muttaqi claimed that there were 10 million students attending educational institutes, including schools, in Afghanistan, of which 2.8 million were women. We do not oppose women’s education, and there were restrictions only in specific areas, he said, adding that in an Islamic Republic, which Afghanistan is, rights of all, including men and women, are protected.
On Friday, Jaishankar announced elevating India’s ‘technical mission’ in Kabul to embassy status, and Muttaqi said his government will send its diplomats to New Delhi. He also asserted on Sunday that his government controlled the Afghan Embassy, as he displayed the flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Muttaqi said the two sides discussed how to make transit to and from Chabahar port, which is facing sanctions, more effective. The Afghan side also requested for the opening of the Wagah border, which it pointed out was the closest and fastest trade route between India and Afghanistan.