Ghani Addresses Nation First Time Since Fleeing Afghanistan, Says Plan To Return In Near Future

Abu Dhabi: For the first time after fleeing Afghanistan amid Taliban’s takeover in Kabul, former President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday broke his silence and addressed the nation in a video message. 

Ghani’s message came hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed that it had accepted Ghani and his family on ‘humanitarian grounds’.

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In the video message posted on Facebook, Ghani said that he left the country to prevent any further bloodshed and avert any “further disaster”.

Ghani also said that he intends to return to Afghanistan in the near future in order to provide justice to all Afghan nationals.  “I am in consultation with others until I will return so that I can continue my efforts for justice for Afghans,” the former President said.

Further in his address, Ghani rejected allegations that he fled the country with large sums of money saying “they are lies”.

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said New Delhi is very carefully following the developments in Afghanistan and India’s focus is on ensuring the security and safe return of Indian nationals still in the war-torn country.

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“Situation in Afghanistan is really what has been very much the focus of my own engagements here, talking to the UN Secretary General and other colleagues who are here as well as the US Secretary of State,” Jaishankar said while addressing reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout after chairing an open-debate on peacekeeping under India’s current UNSC Presidency.

Jaishankar also discussed the “latest developments in Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard.