"Accept Taliban, Do Not Support Them": Former Afghan President's Brother

In a short but wide-ranging discussion with NDTV, Hashmat Ghani also said India would have "no choice but to maintain a political relationship" with the Taliban

Hashmat Ghani, the brother of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told NDTV on Sunday that he had "accepted" the Taliban to avoid instability, and that he had chosen to stay in the country to help in the transition period, but had not offered the group his "support". Mr Ghani told NDTV that these were "very different things" and that his acceptance was to spare his country further political and economic problems - which he said had been underlined by the "devastating" departure of business leaders - following the Taliban taking control. "I have accepted the Taliban but do not support them... 'supporting' is a very strong word. What happens once they are in control... that remains to be seen," Mr Ghani, a prominent businessman and the leader of Afghanistan's nomadic Kochi population, said. "Will there be a bloodbath (after the remaining American forces leave)? I don't think so. They (the Taliban) have shown courtesy to Afghan businesses. They keep saying they will allow women to work, we hear this from senior leaders... we hope they will," he said.