- Taliban delegation “powerless”: defence minister.
- Khawaja Asif accuses India of proxy war using Taliban.
- Asif says Afghan side backtracked five times during talks.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday blamed elements in Kabul for the stalemate in Pakistan’s negotiations with the Afghan Taliban regime, saying that the Afghan delegation was “powerless and helpless”.
Delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently in Istanbul, Turkiye, for the second round of peace negotiations, following the week-long border clashes.
“Their [Taliban’s] control over Afghanistan is weak. Whenever we neared an agreement, there was some sort of intervention from Kabul that resulted in the suspension of talks,” said the defence minister during an interview on Geo News’ Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath.
Asif said that he had sensed the problem on the Afghan delegation’s part during the first round of talks in Doha, Qatar, in which he led the Pakistani delegation.
His comments come as the Pakistani delegation and mediator Turkiye intensified their effort to come to an agreement with the Taliban delegation on the issue of cross-border terrorism.
Sources had said that the dialogues in the second round of talks — which began on October 25 — were moving towards the final round.
However, they said that the Afghan side kept changing its stance after receiving instructions from Kabul each time, leaving the negotiations in jeopardy.
Speaking during today’s show, the defence minister said that Pakistan participated in the negotiations to contribute to regional peace, asserting that responsibility for any collapse of the talks would lie entirely with the Taliban regime.
Asif said that Pakistan joined the negotiations with an aim for peace in the region, asserting that the responsibility for any collapse of the talks would lie solely on the Taliban regime.
Asif advised caution against believing “verbal promises” made by a group, instead of a policy by a uniform government.
“How can we believe somebody who is hosting the TTP, who is responsible for the martyrdom of our 4,000 children?” he asked.
The defence minister added that the Taliban delegation was powerless, saying that real power rested in Kabul, which was penetrated by India.
“There should be no doubt that India has started a proxy war against Pakistan using Kabul,” he added.
India wants to compensate for the humiliating defeat it faced during the May conflict, he said, adding that “there were elements in Afghanistan who have pledged loyalty to India”.
Asif revealed that the Taliban delegation backed down from the agreement with the Pakistani delegation five times after receiving instructions from Kabul.
“They [Taliban delegation] would express their helplessness when they return. I have all the sympathies with that delegation,” he said.
Those pulling the strings from Kabul were being controlled from New Delhi, he added.
Asif was of the view that India planned to engage “Pakistan in a low-intensity war”, saying that the plan was being executed by Kabul.
Responding to Afghan media reports that the Taliban would target Islamabad in case of another clash, the minister said, “If anyone dares cast an eye toward Islamabad, we will take their eyes out”.
