KABUL: In an exclusive interview with The Kabul Times, The French Ambassador to Kabul, David Martinon said that the base for insurgency is in Quetta, adding that Afghan leaders and people should show unity against any foreign interferences.
“The base for insurgency is in Quetta, everyone knows that and that is a fact that cannot be discussed,” he added, in response to a question on Pakistani support of the Taliban insurgency, adding that Taliban seeking absolute power in the country.
Replying to a question on release of Taliban prisoners and the intensification of war by the group, the ambassador said: “Taliban want to control the country and they want to cease the power; it is not about prisoners. It’s just an excuse and is just a fake reason. About lifting the UN sanctions, we see absolutely no reason to change our position on the question of release of the prisoners. But these matters. We do not have a say, this is the responsibility of the Afghan government, and we understand that they are not prepared, fortunately, to release these five or seven thousands of prisoners.”
Hinting at destruction of infrastructures, Ambassador Martinon said that they [Taliban] should start considering that this is their own country and avoid destruction of the vital infrastructures.
“There is no assurance that we will commit to do that again. When they destroy a bridge, how they can assure that this bridge will be rebuilt? If they destroy a road, how they will be assured that anyone will get interest to rebuild that, which was destroyed by Taliban? They should consider this is their own country. If they pretend that they act on behalf of the Afghan people, they should have in mind, most of all the prosperity of their people,” he added.
The ambassador called on Taliban to respect the progress made so far. “We call on Taliban to respect the progress, the progress that Afghan people made during the last twenty years. We know that Afghan people are extremely attached to these rights. they may have been disappointed sometimes, but they do not want to go back to a regime that actually belongs to other centuries,” he added.
This comes as Taliban destroyed buildings, bridges, IT infrastructures and telecommunication towers in territories under their control. In a fresh incident, Taliban destroyed a square in Eshkashem district of Badakhshan which was decorated with sculptures of horses and the arch men.
The Kabul Times
