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Afghanistan: Former president Hamid Karzai forms coordination committee for peaceful transition to Taliban regime after president Ghani fled Kabul

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Former president Hamid Karzai forms coordination committee for peaceful transition to Taliban regime after president Ghani fled Kabul

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai has announced that a committee has been formed for a smooth transition of power to the Taliban as the current administration fled the country. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, former mujahideen leader and chief of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and former president Hamid Karzai are members of this committee.

Karzai tweeted to inform that after president Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials of the Afghan government fled the country, there is the possibility of chaos and suffering among the citizens. Therefore, in order to prevent such chaos and to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, the Coordinating Council has been formed.

The Council further asked the Afghan govt security forces and the security forces of the Taliban to prevent any chaos and to maintain law and order while exercising restraint. He also provided some phone numbers people can call in case of facing any difficulties.

Earlier, Hamid Karzai had issued a video message asking the govt forces and Taliban to protect the people. Appearing in the video with his three daughters, he said that he is in Kabul with his girls and asked the people to stay in their homes & remain calm.

Karzai had added that he and other political leaders will continue their efforts to solve the issues peacefully.

Abdullah Abdullah also asked the people to keep calm, and asked the Afghan forces to cooperate in ensuring security. He had also asked the Taliban to allow some time for talks before entering Kabul. Abdullah referred Ashraf Ghani as ‘former president’, saying that he has fled the country.

Proving the US analysis wrong that Taliban will take at least 90 days to capture Kabul, the group reached the city today itself, after capturing most of the provincial capitals in most bloodless operations. The Afghan forces surrendered to them without fight, and either fled or joined them. After the group surrounded Kabul today, President Ghani, vice President Amrullah Saleh and other senior ministers and officials fled the country this evening. Following their departure, the Taliban ordered its fighters to enter the city to ‘prevent looting’, as the police and security forces in the city also have fled.

Kabul’s fall to Taliban is complete: The group orders its fighters to enter the city after President Ghani fled the country

OpIndia Staff
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Kabul’s fall to Taliban is complete: The group orders its fighters to enter the city after President Ghani fled the country

After waiting at the gates of Kabul for hours after reaching the city, the Taliban fighters now have been ordered to enter the Afghanistan capital. A statement issued by the group said that after reports of police and security forces fleeing the city, the Taliban fighters need to enter Kabul to maintain law and order. The latest instruction by the group came after President Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul.

The statement issued by the official spokesperson of the Taliban said in the morning they had asked the fighters not to enter Kabul as they don’t want to capture the capital using military means, as they were expecting a smooth bloodless transition of power. However, now there are reports that the administration offices in Kabul have been evacuated, police have left their posts, the ministries also have been evacuated, and the Kabul administration security personnel have fled.

The statement by the Taliban

Machine translation of the statement using Bing Translate has been provided below.

Statement by the Islamic Emirate on the Need for Mujahideen to Enter Kabul
The Islamic Emirate issued a statement in the morning saying that our forces are out of Kabul and we do not want to enter Kabul by military means.
But now reports have emerged that the basins in Kabul city have been evacuated, police have left their security posts, as well as ministries have been evacuated, and security personnel from kabul ‘s administration have fled.
So in order not to involve public looting and looting in Kabul, the Islamic Emirate ordered its forces to enter areas where the enemy has gone and the area is in danger of looting.
So the citizens of Kabul should not feel any fear of the mujahideen, our forces will enter Kabul city very slowly, they will not work with anyone, government military and civilian workers should be sure that no one is working for them, no mujahedeen is allowed to enter anyone ‘s house, harass or harass anyone.

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

In such a situation, common thieves and robbers can mix with the common people using this opportunity and rob people, the Taliban said. Therefore, the Islamic Emirate has ordered its forces to enter the areas of Kabul from which the security forces have fled and secure the areas there are risks of theft and robbery.

The Taliban assured the citizens that they need not feel any fear from the Mujahideen. They added that their fighters will enter the Kabul city slowly and sensibly, they won’t force anyone to work under them, and assured that the Taliban fighters are not allowed to enter the homes of citizens and harass them.

The Taliban fighters are ordered to enter Kabul after President Ashraf Ghani and vice president Amrullah Saleh fled Kabul. Reportedly, Ghani boarding a Kam Air flight, an Afghan private airline, at Kabul Airport, but the destination of the flight was not known.

The Taliban has demanded that Ghani should resign and hand over the reign of Afghanistan to them in a smooth transition of power. After using force to capture the first few provinces earlier this month, the Taliban has captured the rest of the country in the last week without much bloodshed. The group has made rapid gains in city after city as the Afghan forces have either fled or surrendered and joined them.

It is being speculated that Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will become the new President of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, while US-based Ali Ahmad Jalali will head an interim government for the time being before the Taliban forms a full-fledged government.

Watch: Old video where panelist on Pakistani news channel was fantasising about Hindu genocide in Afghanistan after US exit goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Old video where panelist on Pakistani news channel was fantasising about Hindu genocide in Afghanistan after US exit goes viral

Taliban has managed to capture Afghanistan as the USA exits the country after 20 years of prolonged warfare. The collapse of the US-backed Afghan regime transpired at an unprecedented speed as Taliban took over the country within days after US intelligence agencies predicted it would take them 90 days to take the country.

Under such circumstances, an old video of a panel discussion on a Pakistani news channel is once again going viral on social media. In the video, Zaid Hamid, a Pakistani ‘intellectual’ can be seen spewing hatred against Hindus and calling for a genocide.

In the video, Zaid Hamid can be heard saying that he prays to Allah for US forces to exit leaving behind Indians in Afghanistan. He says that too long a time has passed since they have slaughtered Hindus in Afghanistan.

Zaid Ahmed says that it used to happen frequently in the past which is why the mountains of Afghanistan are called the Hindu Kush, that is, where Hindus have been slaughtered. He says that he hopes ‘Baniyas’ are abandoned in the country so that they can do to them what scares them into not even looking at Afghanistan and Pakistan for the next thousand years.

It is not clear when the video was precisely captured but there is a Reddit discussion on it from eight years ago. However, it is indeed shocking that such levels of genocidal discourse is permissible in Pakistan on prominent news channels.

Nevertheless, it is not surprising given the horrid persecution minorities in the country have to suffer every day. There are far too many instances of minor Hindu girls being abducted and married off to adult Muslim men after forced conversion to Islam. Only recently, an eight year old Hindu boy was charged under the blasphemy law, which can earn the accused the death penalty.

India starts rescue operation amid Afghanistan crisis, Air India flight out of Kabul to land in Delhi shortly

OpIndia Staff
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India starts rescue operation amid Afghanistan crisis, Air India flight out of Kabul to land in Delhi shortly

As the Taliban await the transfer of power after its militants entered the Afghan capital Kabul from all sides today seeking the unconditional surrender of the Afghanistan govt, India is looking at the speedy evacuation of its diplomatic personnel, along with most other countries including the USA.

According to reports, India has started the process of evacuation of Indian nationals out of Kabul. To bring back the Indians, an Air India flight AI-243 took off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport for Kabul in the morning.

The national carrier landed safely at Afghanistan capital Kabul from Delhi an hour delayed amid turmoil in Afghanistan with the Taliban. Flight tracking sites showed that the aircraft was hovering in the Kabul sky for around an hour before finally landing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

After the commercial passenger flight arrived on the outskirts of Kabul, authorities from Kabul’s air traffic control were unavailable to assist Air India Flight 243 in landing. Because the Taliban have advanced into Kabul’s capital, the pilot of the flight had to turn off the radar to avoid detection and the potential of being attacked. This caused the delay in the landing.

Soon after landing the aircraft, Air India staff was told by the aviation authority at Kabul “to start boarding the passengers who wish to come back to their country”. After the security and boarding processes, the flight will return to Delhi tonight with a full load of passengers.

Besides Indian nationals, the flight is also bringing back diplomats and security officials posted at the Indian embassy in Kabul.

The return flight AI244 took off just after 5 PM after refuelling at the Kabul airport and is expected to land in Delhi shortly after 7.30 PM.

A flight of Kam Air, the private airline from Afghanistan, also landed in Kabul from Delhi at 7.15 pm, according to flight-tracking sites, although it is known whether that flight will return to Delhi with evacuated passengers.

India had already issued an advisory to Indian nationals to leave the country last week.

After a month-long offensive against the Afghan army, terrorists associated with the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). After entering the capital city, a Taliban delegation made their way to the presidential palace and urged President Ashraf Ghani to surrender to avoid bloodshed.

President Ashraf Ghani is expected to relinquish power after talks with the Taliban. It is speculated Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the new president of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime after the Afghanistan Government surrendered to the Islamic terrorists.

‘Sooar ki paidayish’: Islamists abuse Congress leader Udit Raj, his mother and sister after he says Afghanistan women have been imprisoned in Burkha

OpIndia Staff
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‘Sooar ki paidayish’: Islamists abuse Congress leader Udit Raj, his mother and sister after he says Afghanistan women have been imprisoned in Burkha

Congress leader Udit Raj was trolled by Islamists on Sunday for a post on Facebook highlighting the dangers of Islamic Extremism and Taliban. Udit Raj shared a photograph from 1960s Afghanistan to claim that the women in the country have been enslaved by slavery and Burkha.

He said, “This is the college scene of 1960s Afghanistan but where has the bigotry led it today. Today women there have been imprisoned in slavery and Burkha. India is also moving in that direction.” The comments irked Islamists on social media who resorted to abuses against him.

Source: Facebook

Islamists said that the Congress leader should have the women of his family roam naked on the streets. They cursed Udit Raj in extremely vile language and hurled sexual slurs against the women in his family, including his mothers and sisters.

Source: Facebook

There are almost seven thousand comments on the post and nearly all of them are abuses directed at the Congress leader, or asking him to have his mother and sisters roam naked. There is the occasional comment mocking him for his political beliefs but most are just curses or abuses.

Source: Facebook

Islamists have also called him son of a pig for making the comment and say that they will do what Allah dictates. Raj made the post on a day when Kabul is on the verge of collapse and Taliban is set to take control of Afghanistan, after the US made an exit following two decades of war.

Source: Twitter

The Congess leader has often found himself in the thick of controversies due to comments he had made. An FIR was filed against Udit Raj for spreading fake news on social media regarding the Unnao girls death case. He was also accused of threatening a journalist with the SC/ST Act and preventing the journalist for sharing an interview with him where he was asked tough questions.

Indian National Flag unfurled at the height of 58 feet atop Jama Masjid in a village in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Indian National Flag unfurled at the height of 58 feet atop Jama Masjid in a village in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh

As India celebrated its 75th Independence Day, in a first, a large Indian national flag was hoisted at the height of 58 feet at Jama Masjid in Manki village in Deoband town in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Kunwar Brijesh, BJP MLA from the Deoband assembly constituency, called it a proud moment while he hoisted the tricolour atop Jama Masjid.

According to Zee News Hindi, when the BJP MLA reached the Manki village at around 11:30 in the morning, he was welcomed by a huge crowd, gathered to catch a glimpse of the flag hoisting ceremony at Jama Masjid conducted for the very first time since India’s Independence.

The tricolour was unfurled amidst loud chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Glory to Mother India), followed by the national anthem.

Netizens shared pictures of the event where villagers gathered to see the 14 by 21 feet Indian national flag being hoisted atop the Jama Masjid. The 58 feet pole was erected at the Masjid with the permissions of the Masjid committee and the gram panchayat.

The BJP MLA said that the event is especially important as the Deoband district in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh is a Muslim dominated area, with 80 per cent population belonging to the Muslim community. In such a situation, the hoisting of the Indian flag holds special relevance, said the BJP MLA, adding that this is a message to those people who make unfurling of the national flag an issue of caste and religion. He asserted that the National Flag does not belong to any caste, religion or party and that it belongs to all.

A villager, Matbool, reacting to the occasion said that he felt proud that the national flag was unfurled in his village for the first time in the last 60 years.

‘Rubbing salt on wounds?’ Netizens question as Pakistan ‘Human Rights’ minister teases American over Taliban advancement

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rubbing salt on wounds?’ Netizens question as Pakistan ‘Human Rights’ minister teases American over Taliban advancement

US troops arrived in Afghanistan to help evacuate thousands of people, including embassy staff, and Afghans and their families who worked for them as the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). In such a situation, when the Taliban offensive is resulting in a massive humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, the ‘human rights’ minister of Pakistan tweeted an image which appeared to mock the situation unfolding in Afghanistan.

Shireen Mazari, the Minister for Human Rights in the federal government in Pakistan posted a tweet which juxtaposed the image of US withdrawal and evacuation exercise from Saigon in 1975 after Vietnam War with that of similar image from Kabul earlier today.

In her Tweet, she posted two pictures side by side. On the left, she posted the most iconic photograph of the Vietnam war, clicked by Dutch photojournalist Hugh Van Es, showing American diplomatic staff and Vietnamese evacuees boarding a helicopter on the roof of the US embassy in Saigon on 29 April 1975.

On the right-hand side, the Pakistan minister posted the picture of a US helicopter carrying out sorties between Kabul airport and the American Embassy, evacuating American diplomatic staff and thousands of civilians, both American and non-American. She captioned her post: “Saigon, Vietnam and Kabul, Afghanistan”.

By sharing the two pictures, Shireen Mazari attempted to poke fun at America, insinuating that for the US, the scramble to evacuate the Kabul assembly is a deja vu moment; a reminiscence of the humiliation it faced when it had to retreat from Saigon after the Vietnam war in 1975.

Between 29 and 30 April 1975, America had launched Operation Frequent Wind in which, 7,000 people were evacuated, including 5,500 Vietnamese, in less than 24 hours, when South Vietnam, backed by the US had surrendered, ending the decades-long war and signalling the reunification of North and South Vietnam.

Netizens, however, were not amused by the flippancy shown by Pakistan’s ‘human rights’ minister at a time as sensitive as this.

“Mame is this our state policy or you teasing US government in personal capacity? How would you respond if a US secretary of states tweets a picture of our troops signing a surrender deal in Dhaka?”, tweeted a social media user, offended by Shireen Mazari for making light of the serious situation in Afghanistan.

Another too castigated Pakistan ‘human rights’ minister for “openly celebrating the Taliban’s victory and teasing Americans”.

Some others schooled the Pakistan minister asking her to behave in accordance with her stature and repute.

Many denounced Shireen Mazari for celebrating the gross human rights violation against the innocent civilians of Afghanistan by the Talibanis, despite being a ‘human rights’ minister.

Ex-NDTV journalist Vikram Chandra opined that the Pakistani minister is “rubbing salt in American wounds”.

This is, however, not the first time the Pakistani federal minister was seen cheering the victories of the Talibani. Only two days back Shireen Mazari was seen celebrating over the fake news that the vice president of Afghanistan fled Kabul. She had posted a tweet on August 13, calling Amrullah Saleh, the vice president of Afghanistan, a coward, after media reports that he has fled from Kabul and gone to Tajikistan.

Amrullah Saleh has been highly critical of Pakistan for its support to the Taliban, and therefore the Pakistani leaders don’t leave any opportunity to criticise him. Last month, the vice president had warned that Pakistan will pay a heavy price for openly supporting the Taliban.

Therefore, when some reports said that Saleh had fled to Tajkiskistan, the Pakistani minister Shireen Mazari thought it was a perfect opportunity to mock him.

Congress opposes August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day fearing it will hurt Pakistan sentiments: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Congress opposes August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day fearing it will hurt Pakistan sentiments: Details

Former Union Minister during the UPA Government, P Chidambaram, has criticised Prime Minister Modi for his decision to declare the 14th of August the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. According to Chidambaram, it will hurt Pakistan sentiments and it reflects a sense of immaturity on the part of the NDA Goverment.

Chidambaram said, “What will India do if Pakistan designates August 15 as ‘Partition Horrors Condemnation Day’?” He continued, “Hostility apart, India and Pakistan are neighbours. We can change our friends but we cannot change our neighbours. India should behave as a mature and seasoned nation.”

P Chidambaram on Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
Source: Twitter

It appears that the senior Congress leader does not wish for India to pay homage to the sacrifices of our ancestors and the tragedy that befell them during the partition of the country. It appears that wants India to give preference to Pakistani sentiments even though the Islamic Republic was responsible for the massive crisis that struck the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

Chidambaram appears to echo the sentiments of ’eminent intellectuals’ of a liberal bent who accused Narendra Modi of ‘polarising’ Independence Day.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi announced that the 14th of August will henceforth be observed as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. The choice of date was fitting since it is on that date that Pakistan celebrates its independence day.

The Prime Minister said, “The pain of partition of the country can never be forgotten. Because of hatred and violence, lakhs of our sisters and brothers were displaced and even lost their lives. In memory of the struggle and sacrifice of those people, it has been decided to celebrate 14th August as ‘Vibhishika Memorial Day’.”

He further added, “This day will not only inspire us to eliminate the poison of discrimination, animosity and ill-will, but it will also strengthen unity, social harmony and human sensibilities”.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai finally breaks her silence, says is ‘worried’ as Taliban takes over Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai finally breaks her silence, says is ‘worried’ as Taliban takes over Afghanistan

Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has finally voiced her worries over Taliban taking over Afghanistan.

Taking to Twitter, she claimed that she is deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates. “Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians,” she tweeted.

She had earlier came under fire for not uttering a word as Afghanistan spiralled into chaos after withdrawal of US troops as Taliban took over one city after other. Her tweet came after the country had fallen into the hands of Taliban as President Ashraf Ghani resigned.

Soon after her tweet, she came under criticism for not really addressing the elephant in the room and putting out a politically correct protocol type tweet.

However, some Islamists even asked her to shut up because they claimed Afghanistan is now in better hands as Taliban are better Muslims. One Mian Zubair also accused her of trying to appease those who had ‘backed her outside’.

It is worth noting that Malala rose to prominence in October 2012 after she was shot by Talibani terrorists for defying their orders and campaigning for female education in the Swat Valley in northeastern Pakistan. Severely wounded, she was airlifted from one military hospital in Pakistan to another and later flown to the UK for treatment, where she made a miraculous recovery.

Since then, she has been championing the cause of women and peace. However, she had maintained stoic silence all this while and finally tweeted after Taliban toppled Afghanistan government.

Afghan students in JNU appeal for visa extension as Afghanistan falls to Taliban

OpIndia Staff
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Afghan students in JNU appeal for visa extension as Afghanistan falls to Taliban

Amidst the deteriorating security condition in Afghanistan following the month-long offensive by Islamist outfit Taliban, Afghan students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have requested the Indian government to extend their visas.

While speaking about the matter to ANI, an Afghan student named Jalal-ud-din said, “My visa will expire next month. My request is to extend my visa for the long term. I don’t have any option. Other students from Afghan also facing the same problem.”

The same issue of security threat at the hands of the Taliban was also flagged by another student named Ali Asghar. While expressing fear about the future of women and religious minorities, the JNU student said, “I’m part of a minority community in Afghanistan. I am from Bamyan province. It was the most peaceful & safe province. Today I heard that they (Taliban) took control of my province. I am worried about the future of minorities and women.”

Other than Afghan students in JNU, even Afghan nationals who have been living in India have expressed their concerns over their country falling to Taliban.

Some of the Afghan nationals living in India are either on student or medical visa or have fled the country earlier and applied for refugee status.

Taliban takes over Afghanistan, government surrenders

After a month-long offensive against the Afghan army, terrorists associated with the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). In a statement, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the terrorists intended to enter Kabul in a peaceful way without force or war. He added, “The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city. Also, until the completion of the transition process, the security of Kabul city is referred to the other side, which must be maintained.”

Reportedly, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will become the new president of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime after the Afghanistan Government surrendered to the Islamic terrorists. Earlier, a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had made their way to the presidential palace after entering Kabul. However, some reports indicate that Ali Ahmad Jalali, former Afghan Interior Minister, will head the new transitional government in Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani was expected to relinquish power after talks with the Taliban. He has finally resigned earlier in the day and Ali Ahamd Jalali was appointed interim chief.

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