In a short interview with India Today, former Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh said that the country rejects the Taliban’s ‘dictatorship’. Saleh who declared himself the acting President of Afghanistan after Ghani fled the country said they are open for negotiations.
“We prefer negotiations with the Taliban but these need to be meaningful,” said Saleh. Further emphasizing on not recognizing the Taliban rule, Saleh said, “The country rejects dictatorship. We want people to have a say. We don’t want the individual identities of the Afghan people to be shattered.”
#EXCLUSIVE | Ex-Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh says we do not want dictatorship, we want the identity of the individuals and communities to stay alive. | @gauravcsawant #ITVideo #AmarullahSaleh #Afghanistan #Taliban pic.twitter.com/s3wyHqCxZ7
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 24, 2021
Coming down heavily on the barbaric Talibani military, Saleh added, “They want to erase Afghanistan and establish Talibanistan.”
Saleh in the media interaction further stated that the Afghan people should be given a chance to determine the character of the state. “We are not seeking positions or personal favours,” he remarked.
“We are not seeking positions, personal favours, but we want the Afghan people to have a chance to determine the character of their state,” said Amrullah Saleh
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 24, 2021
(@gauravcsawant )https://t.co/P5WhsFhxd1
Busting claims of the Taliban securing Panjshir, Saleh said that the situation is very much under their control. “The moral of the people is high. The community has unanimously stood up and the resistance is strong,” informed Saleh.
“Situation is dire”
Acting President Saleh took to Twitter on Tuesday to apprise the world of the horrific situation in Afghanistan with the rise of the Taliban. What can be called a major humanitarian crisis, Saleh said that the Talibs are not allowing food and fuel to reach Andarab Valley, which has not yet fallen to Taliban forces.
Talibs aren’t allowing food & fuel to get into Andarab valley. The humanitarian situation is dire. Thousands of women & children have fled to mountains. Since the last two days Talibs abduct children & elderly and use them as shields to move around or do house search.
— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 23, 2021
“Since the last two days Talibs abduct children and elderly and use them as shields to move around or do house search,” he said. Thousands of women and children have been forced to flee to the mountains he said.
Reiterating his commitment to Afghanistan, Saleh Tweeted, “I own Afghanistan and it owns me. We are one. It speaks to me every day.”
That indelible color red in my heart is Afghanistan. Only God will one day evacuate my soul from here but still my remains will reunite with the soil. I own Afghanistan & it owns me. We are one. It speaks to me every day. https://t.co/qYYPYtXO2q
— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 23, 2021
Meanwhile, after the Taliban took control of most parts of Afghanistan and took over Kabul, the US, several European countries and India have been running an intense rescue operation to get their respective citizens back home safely.
