By Arun Lakshman

Chennai, Aug 17 (IANS): Zafar Sahito is the chief organiser and founder of Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement and lives in exile in the US. A graduate in civil engineering with a second degree in arts, he started his political life as a student activist and was an office-bearer in various capacities for the Jeay Sindh Student Federation (JSSF). He is now a prominent speaker and writer on human rights violation and persecution of minorities in Pakistan and is working for the cause of the 'Sindhudesh' across the world. He was persecuted by Pakistani intelligence agencies on charges of supporting the political and resistance movement of Sindhudesh in 2015. He left his home nation and is living in exile in the US from where he leads the freedom movement.

The Sindhudesh movement leader said that the world order and global peace would be affected if Taliban and its model of governance is not curtailed and crushed at the earliest. He spoke exclusively to IANS on the latest developments in Afghanistan and the role of Pakistan in the Taliban capturing power and how it is affecting the global order.

IANS: The Taliban has captured power in Afghanistan after 20 years and as a political activist who has been closely monitoring the situation in Afghan, what is your opinion on the future of that country?

Sahito: Afghanistan and the brave Afghans have never accepted the rule of tyranny, radicals, or any foreign supremacy for a long time. Today it seems that the ISI-backed radical Islamist groups (Taliban) have taken over Afghanistan. But they will be defeated because they are not on the side of truth and justice. There will be fights and sacrifices but I am sure that a democratic and secular Afghanistan will be on its feet soon.

IANS: In the past 20 years, people of Afghanistan were enjoying the freedom and what will be the freedom in a government led by Taliban?

Sahito: Taliban rule means torturing, killing, raping, destroying social and moral values, women will be banned to go outside without fully covering themselves and only accompanied by men. Schools will be converted to madrassas and life is going to be horrible. Millions of jihadis will be produced if Taliban remain in power for few years in Afghanistan. So the civilised countries in the world must cut this cancer part before it starts spreading to the whole body. I mean to say that the peace process of the whole world will be at stake if it is not finished soon.

IANS: Will Pakistan be more emboldened in crushing independence and freedom movements like Sindh, Baloch, and Pashtun in that country after the Taliban, their protege, takes over Afghanistan?

Sahito: Pakistan and Pakistani intelligence agencies already have hundreds of thousands of trained Talibanis under their custody. These people are already working in Occupied Sindh, Balochistan, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). The madrassas at these places are their training camps and shelter. Naturally, once they assume power in Afghanistan, the nationalist movements will be affected on a large scale.

In Sindh and Balochistan, many attacks are undertaken by Islamist radical elements on peaceful leaders. Our peaceful rallies and protest marches were attacked in large numbers and several people were killed and many more injured and these Taliban militants were behind this, aided and abetted by the failed Pakistani state and its intelligence agency.

IANS: With the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, do you feel that Islamic terror will increase globally?

Sahito: We are already witnessing the celebrations being carried out by the Taliban, its supporters, and all other Islamist radical groups worldwide. Especially when Kabul was captured, social media was full of such statements from each part of the world by using fake accounts that 'it is over, First victory by Grace of Allah, the world be rearing for Islamic rule'.

This shows that they are everywhere especially in Europe as they have migrated in thousands due to insurgency in Middle East and Afghanistan in the last two decades. India is also on their target list and their long-awaited dream is of 'Gazwa Hind'.

If these Islamist radicals will not be destroyed with mighty power, the whole world will face unprecedented consequences.

IANS: What will be the role played by China in the new Afghanistan under the Taliban rule?

Sahito: Expansionist China is already in power in Asia, especially the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) engineered plans are in fast mode now in South Asia and Central Asia. Afghanistan's geographical location is very important for China and that's the reason why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) opened the backchannel with the Taliban (through Pakistan) since long. In many parts of occupied Balochistan and occupied Sindh and other parts which are governed by Islamabad and called federal territories that are mostly tribal areas and bordering with Afghanistan, the security of BRI and CPEC projects is in the hands of Taliban with full-throttle support of ISI. They are receiving millions of dollars fund monthly under the table. So CCP must be happy now that the influence of America, the West, and India will be finished after the Taliban taking over Afghanistan. This clearly means that this is a takeover of Afghanistan by Pakistan, ISI, and the CCP.

IANS: Do you feel that Pakistan will up its ante against India as they have a new friend in Afghanistan?

Sahito: Pakistan and its notorious intelligence agency, ISI, and Pakistani radicals groups have already started celebrating the victory in Afghanistan and their now the slogan is ‘Kabul ke baad Delhi' which means 'After Kabul next is Delhi'. This shows a clear mindset and intentions of their plans. This means the Taliban, ISI, and CCP have clear cut plans for India and it is for the people of India to see to it that they foil these attempts and safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of your great nation.

IANS: What you feel is the future of Sindhudesh movement?

Sahito: Right to self-determination, national freedom, and revolutions are a long path to walk, sometimes it passes on to generations. National Movement for Sindhudesh is a natural demand which is our right given to us from our great history of 7,000 years identity of Sindhiat Sindhudesh and the Indus Valley Civilization.

Sindh was attacked by invaders 1,100 times, it was captured but no outsider has lived here forever. We have always regained our freedom as an independent country. The British invaded free Sindh in 1843 but left in 1947, after a rule of 104 years . However, they passed on Sindh to their best servants Punjabi Pakistani.

We are passing through a phase of severe slavery and brutality with each day someone getting abducted, tortured, extra-judicially killed, persecuted politically from Sindh, Balochistan and Pashtunisthan.

The time is coming because as the atrocities of Pakistan, Punjab, ISI, Taliban, and China are increasing day by day against historical Sindhi nation and exploitation and looting of resources of Sindh is on a rise, people of Sindh and the national movement of Sindhudesh have started countering this and there will be reaction to each and every action.

As the situation in Afghanistan will be getting more worsening the international powers who believe in prosperity and betterment of humanity will be more focused on our region, especially Pakistan. In these times, We the National movement of Sindh will be best friends of them because Pakistan and Taliban are our enemies.

We stand with a democratic world and not with fundamentalists, expansionists, dictators, and terrorists.