India will soon realise Taliban's ability to govern: Shahabuddin Dilawar

KABUL: In reaction to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments doubting the Taliban's ability to run a government, a renowned leader of the group, Shahabuddin Dilawar, has said that India will "soon realise their ability to govern", reported Radio Pakistan Thursday.

"India will soon know that the Taliban can run the government affairs smoothly," said Dilawar while speaking to Radio Pakistan in Kabul.

The leader also warned India to avoid interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs as he took exception to the Indian premier's Tweet, on the Taliban's behalf.

Modi last week said in a Tweet that any realm can dominate relying on terror, but only for a limited period of time.

“The destroying powers, the thinking that builds an empire on the basis of terror, may dominate for some time..., but, its existence is never permanent, it cannot suppress humanity for a long time,” read the Tweet.

Meanwhile, speaking about the ties with Pakistan that the Taliban are looking forward to, the leader said that "Pakistan is our neighbour and a friendly country."

He thanked Pakistan for hosting over three million Afghan refugees and asserted that the Taliban want peaceful ties with the international community based on mutual respect.

The rise of 'new' Taliban

The Taliban had completed their sweep across Afghanistan by taking over Kabul on August 15, 2021, following the culmination of a 20-year invasion with the US' withdrawal of troops.

However, the stance maintained by the Taliban since their return to Kabul suggests that they would impose their laws more softly as compared to their harsh 1996-2001 rule.

Currently, the group is in talks with Afghan leaders and politicians to form an inclusive government.