Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 11 : Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday visited Darul Uloom Deoband, where he met Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani.
Muttaqi expressed his gratitude for being welcomed to Doband, and hoped that the relations between India and Taliban continue to improve.
He said, "I am thankful to all of you for the warm welcome given to me by everyone in Deoband and the love showered upon me. I will pray to god that India-Afghanistan relations improve further. After the meeting I had in Delhi, I can say that our future is bright. I hope that our visits between Delhi and Kabul increase."
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani told reporters that the two did not have any political discussions, but they reminisced about Afghanistan's role in India's independence.
"I told him that our ties with you are not just academic. You contributed to the independence of India. Our forefathers chose the land for Afghanistan to fight for India's independence. For your independence, you defeated powers like America and Russia. You learnt from us how to do that when we defeated Britain. I told him (Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi) that this meeting shows how the Muslims of India and the Darul Uloom Deoband have deep ties with you. There should be harmony within the nations of the world, irrespective of their religion... We had no political discussion... The relations between the two nations will improve. India has had complaints that Afghanistan sent terrorists to India. Now, after this meeting, it is confirmed that no terrorists will come to India from Afghanistan."
Earlier in the day, speaking exclusively with ANI, Muttaqi highlighted the bright future of India-Afghanistan relations, indicating a positive trajectory in bilateral ties. Muttaqi thanked the Ulema and people of the area for their warm welcome, appreciating the large turnout.
"The journey has been very good so far. Not just the people of Darul Uloom, but all the people of the area have come here. I am grateful to them for the warm welcome they extended to me... I am thankful to the Ulema of Deoband and the people of the area for this warm welcome... The future of India-Afghanistan relations seems very bright," Muttaqi told ANI.
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