Taliban’s supreme leader is away from the limelight, without any with the Afghanistan ground. His location is being questioned by many nations, with India taking a special interest in the cause.
Since the Taliban accomplished full control of Afghanistan last Sunday, India has been studying the confidential information given by foreign intelligence agencies and monitoring the telephonic conversations of the armed group with their recipients to track Haibatullah Akhundzada, the chief of the Taliban.
According to the hints given by a senior government official, Akhundzada may be in the custody of the Pakistan Army. Neither his armed group’s senior leaders nor any of the fighters have seen him for the past 6 months. He had released a statement on Eid-ul-Fitr in May this year wishing everyone for the festival- the last time he issued a public statement.
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After the former Taliban chief Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike, Akhundzada, one of the two deputies of Mansour, was appointed as the new chief during a meeting in Pakistan in May 2016. The group had shared a video statement making the announcement.
Akhundzada has been given the title of “Amir-al-Momineen” or “commander of the faithful”. The 50-year-old is described as a legal scholar rather than a soldier who allegedly also makes many extreme interpretations of Islam.
He is also one of the 7 top leaders of the Taliban who is expected to head or hold an important role in administering Afghanistan.
As per reports, other armed groups- Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba- have started communicating with the Taliban following their capture of the southeast Asian country.
The Foreign Minister of India S Jaishankar broke his silence over the Afghanistan issue yesterday and spoke about India and its concerns of possible terrorist attacks from the armed group. The issues were pointed out at the UN Security Council meeting.
Calling out Pakistan indirectly for giving “state hospitality” to “those who have blood on their hands”, the minister accused the nation and said, “Whether in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar and Jaish continue to operate with impunity and encouragement.”
When asked about India’s steps to handle it, he said it is still “early days” to make any decision.
According to sources, the Taliban had urged India not to evacuate its embassy staff and Indians do not need to fear any attack from them. However, India brushed the assurances aside and brought back its staff though more than 1000 Indian citizens are still stuck in Afghanistan.
