Taliban offensives are planned, executed in Afghan neighborhood: India in UN

New York [USA], Dec 8 (ANI): Promising solidarity with Afghanistan in resolving the Taliban insurgency, India has claimed that the Taliban offensives are planned and launched by terrorists harbored in safe havens in the neighborhood of Afghanistan, which for years, have provided safety for the dark agendas of ideologically and operationally-fused terror networks like the Taliban, Haqqani network, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
In addition to this, India reiterated its support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled inclusive peace and reconciliation process which promotes and protects unity, sovereignty, democracy, inclusiveness, and prosperity of Afghanistan. Any meaningful progress towards sustainable peace requires cessation of terrorist violence, renunciation of links with international terrorism, respect for rights of common Afghan people, especially the women, the children, and minorities.
Speaking on "The Situation in Afghanistan" at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly here, Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Eenam Gambhir noted, "There is no military solution to the issue. Yet, the Taliban, aided by their supporters, continue to pursue military operations perpetrating violence and destruction, like the recent attack in Kabul, over several parts of Afghanistan."
"India has always stood shoulder to shoulder with our Afghan partners and will continue to do so in this transformation decade in providing assistance that Afghanistan needs and seeks. Building reliable connectivity for landlocked Afghanistan is the key component of our regional partnership," Gambhir was quoted as having said in a press statement.
Last month, many member states attended the recently concluded Geneva conference on Afghanistan, thus reaffirming the commitment of the international community and the UN to Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani, who also attended the conference, mentioned that Afghanistan is looking forward to a solution for the Taliban insurgency.
However, despite mounting challenges of security, peace and development, there has also been considerable progress in the last 17 years, especially in promoting education and health care, protecting the rights of women, children and the marginalised, such as securing lives, improving governance and reforms, generating livelihood and in moving Afghanistan towards self reliance.
Also, the enthusiastic participation of the people of Afghanistan in the Parliamentary elections held last month despite terrorist violence, reflect their desire and faith in democratic governance and rejection of forces that foment and spread terror and violence.
In order to rebuild the infrastructure of the war-torn country, India has also invested in various connectivity projects in the region including the Chabahar Port project and direct India-Afghanistan Air-Freight Corridor, which have been successfully operationalised. (ANI)