Taliban takeover of Afghanistan poses no serious threat to India: Omar Abdullah

"Since the borders of India are very strong, I don't see the any impact of the takeover by Taliban across the border on the Indian side," he said.

Sangareddy: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said on Monday that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will pose no serious threat to India since the Indian borders are well protected.

Participating in an interaction with students of Kautilya School of Public Policy at GITAM University, Hyderabad at Rudraram, Abdullah said India had stopped infiltrations efficiently in the past few years. “Since the borders of India are very strong, I don’t see the any impact of the takeover by Taliban across the border on the Indian side,” he said.

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When a student asked how he would have responded to the development had he been the Prime Minister, Abdullah said he would try to provide shelter to as many refugees as possible in India on humanitarian grounds. The NC leader, in a lighter vein, added that he will never get a chance to become the Primer Minister nor does he have such dreams.

When a student sought his response on India-Pakistan relations, he said Kashmir is seen as a biggest obstacle in the relations between the two countries. “Just check our relations with Nepal, they have been fluctuating. All the issues between India and Pakistan cannot be resolved even if the Kashmir problem is settled,” he said.

Asked if he had lost confidence on the Constitution when he was placed under house arrest for eight long months, Abdullah said the idea of India was more important than anything else though he strongly opposed the confinment. Stating that individuals or some political parties and leaders may face such issues in the country, the former Chief Minister said people need to raise their voice against such decisions of the government.

“The Constitution is for 1.3 billion people, not for one individual,” he said, adding that people of Jammu and Kashmir were not happy with the division.

“The BJP government must explain what they have done in the past two years. The Union government says nothing was done in 73 years in Jammu and Kashmir. Elections must be held again in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to restore trust among the people,” he said.

To a question on why Kashmiri youth were taking to arms, Abdullah said the government must listen to the issues of the people and when someone raises his or her voice against their decisions.

Abdullah called upon the students of the first batch of Masters in Public Policy (MPP) students to join politics to bring in a change. “Indian politics needs new faces and thinking,” he said, adding that there are challenges in politics just as there are challenges in other professions.

 

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