Taliban representative Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai who met Indian Ambassador Deepak Mittal on Tuesday was trained under the Indian Army during the late 1970s and early 1980s, NDTV reported.
Ambassador Deepak Mittal met Stanekzai at the Indian embassy in Doha amidst the call from the Taliban to set up diplomatic relations with India. This was the first time India admitted to having a dialogue with the Taliban.
Stanekzai is one of the key 7 key members of the Taliban and serves as a key diplomat for the terrorist organization. He trained with the Indian Army for three years between 1979 and 1982 under the Army Cadet College, Nowgaon. He was initially a jawan and then was promoted to an officer at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
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He speaks fluent English and is well-traveled, making him an exception in the Taliban ranks. His exposure to traveling and understanding diplomacy came during his stint as the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan when the terrorist group last controlled that country.
Stanekzai has led numerous delegations during the previous Taliban rule in Afghanistan in order to make countries acknowledge and legitimize the Taliban regime. He went to US President Bill Clinton in 1996 in order to get America to acknowledge the Taliban as the ruler of Afghanistan which was however unsuccessful.
He also led delegations to China, it said. Stanikzai was also Abdul Hakim Haqqani's deputy negotiator in the talks that were held with officials of the earlier Afghanistan government.
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In the dialogue between India and the Taliban, both the parties discussed the measures of safety, security, and return of Indian nationals who are currently stranded in Afghanistan. Concerns over anti-India terrorism breeding in Afghanistan were also discussed.
