afghan taliban establish diplomatic ties with iran

[GumNaam]

Well there goes india's chabahar dream.

Taliban move to claim diplomatic acceptability


ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban have formalised their relationship with Iran by appointing a representative to the Islamic Republic, a leader of the ultraorthodox militia said on Sunday.

Maulvi Nek Muhammad, the head of the education department in Kandahar before the toppling of the Taliban regime in 2001, is the Taliban’s envoy in Tehran, the leader told The Express Tribune. “Maulvi Nek Muhammad is a frequent visitor to Iran,” he added.

“We have named envoys for several other countries, including Central Asian States, and have also increased contacts with Russia,” said the Taliban leader, who requested not to be identified in the report.

The group also enjoys good relations with China. A Taliban delegation visited the People’s Republic in July at the invitation of Beijing. Last year, the Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan had told The Express Tribune that his country considered the Afghan Taliban a ‘major political force’.

The emerging threat from Islamic State, or Da’ish, and longer stay of the US-led foreign troops in Afghanistan are seen as the main reasons behind Iran’s growing relationship with the Taliban. Da’ish claimed credit for the deadly attacks on Shia mourners this Muharram in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. The Taliban condemned the attacks motivated by sectarian hatred.

For years, the Taliban and Iran had been bitter foes and their relations touched the lowest ebb in 1998 when Taliban fighters had stormed the Iranian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif. Ten Iranian consulate staffers and an Iranian journalist had been killed in the attack.

A lukewarm response from most Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, pushed the Taliban to reach out to Tehran, according to insiders. The group angrily reacted to a plan of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to hold a conference of religious scholars in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina in mid-October. The conference, which the Taliban descried as a ‘plot of intelligence agencies’, was subsequently postponed.

Taliban leaders are now frequent visitors to Iran as they are campaigning to find new allies, a second Taliban leader told The Express Tribune. A three-member Taliban military delegation, headed by military commission chief Ibrahim Sadr, visited Tehran this year in an apparent move to ‘seek military aid’ from Iran.

The delegations are said to have allayed Iran’s concerns about the harsh treatment of the Shia Hazaras during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Officially, Iran has never confirmed the Taliban’s visits; however, the Iranian media close to the security establishment confirmed such visits on several occasions.

In a previous interview a senior Taliban leader had claimed that their slain leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor had paid several visits to the Islamic Republic. Mansoor was killed in a US drone strike after he entered Pakistan from Iran in May this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2016.



http://tribune.com.pk/story/1200348/reaching-taliban-move-claim-diplomatic-acceptability/

 

[!eon]

In a previous interview a senior Taliban leader had claimed that their slain leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor had paid several visits to the Islamic Republic. Mansoor was killed in a US drone strike after he entered Pakistan from Iran in May this year.

@A-Team you said that Iran has been told behind the scene to stop activities with Taliban. But Iranians are not taking the Afghan govt seriously. They are ignoring your behind the scene anger.
I am not aware what is going, or is there anything really going behind the scene with Iran. But what in front of curtain is, there are no abuses, no harsh words for Iran like Kablis do use against Pakistan.
Here I have right to say that Indian money is paid to open mouth and spit venom against Pakistan only.

I asked you about what Mulla Mansoor was doing in Iran for full one month ? Still Afghan govt is not speaking on that. I haven't seen any statement from any official. Why ? because they don't get money for that purpose.

 

[A-Team]

@A-Team you said that Iran has been told behind the scene to stop activities with Taliban. But Iranians are not taking the Afghan govt seriously. They are ignoring your behind the scene anger.
I am not aware what is going, or is there anything really going behind the scene with Iran. But what in front of curtain is, there are no abuses, no harsh words for Iran like Kablis do use against Pakistan.
Here I have right to say that Indian money is paid to open mouth and spit venom against Pakistan only.

I asked you about what Mulla Mansoor was doing in Iran for full one month ? Still Afghan govt is not speaking on that. I haven't seen any statement from any official. Why ? because they don't get money for that purpose.

Here is tweet from the well connected journalist on AFG-Pak affairs related this story.

Sami Yousafzai‏@Samiyousafzai
" i am neither in Taliban political office nor appointed as Taliban political envoy for iran " mullah nek muhamamd

 

[!eon]

Here is tweet from the well connected journalist on AFG-Pak affairs related this story.

Sami Yousafzai‏@Samiyousafzai
" i am neither in Taliban political office nor appointed as Taliban political envoy for iran " mullah nek muhamamd

That's not answer of my question sir.

 

[A-Team]

That's not answer of my question sir.

If you are asking whether Afghans have an issue Talis opening an office in Iran, well hell yeah.
Iranians are being told and well be told in the same manner that Pakistan is being told.

Iran, Pakistan, Congo matters not if our interests are at stake.

 

[!eon]

If you are asking whether Afghans have an issue Talis opening an office in Iran, well hell yeah.
Iranians are being told and well be told in the same manner that Pakistan is being told.

Iran, Pakistan, Congo matters not if our interests are at stake.

I have same old question sir.

I want to see when and where Iranians were told ?
Why I can't see same hate and abuse for Iran ?

I want to know the reason. Is the Indian money reason ? We all know that Afghan govt is one of most corrupts in the world.

 

[Path-Finder]

I have same old question sir.

I want to see when and where Iranians were told ?
Why I can't see same hate and abuse for Iran ?

I want to know the reason. Is the Indian money reason ? We all know that Afghan govt is one of most corrupts in the world.

that is because northern alliance who are tajik farsi speakers are now in the principality of kabul with the protection of nato trying to run the country. these northern alliance have alway been against Pakistan and sided with india because the two share their hatred for Pakistan. problem is these Tajik are not a majority group but a minority in afghanistan, taliban are mostly Pashtun and a major group there. Now there are so many nations involved in afghanistan trying to influence their own agenda. the biggest being Pakistan and Iran as the two nations share the largest border with it. BUT you will never see the afghans talk claptrap against Iran that is because Iran treats them like crap! where we allowed afghans openly to come to Pakistan, Iran kept its gates shut. taliban and Iran becoming friends is not a good thing for these northern alliance mofo's. In the past the two were against each other but for almost a decade they have been exchanging dialogue at a very very serious level, it is said mullah mansoor's family reside in Iran!? even more I remember when tony blair was in power he accused Iran of helping the taliban!

 

[Taimoor Khan]

Two question:

Why on earth we are lagging behind in recognizing the ground realities?

How this development will be seen by some sections of Pakistani Shias who take Iran as some sort of holly cow? Would their perception about Afghan Taliban change because of these behind the scene development?