Referring to recent border skirmishes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that New Delhi was waging a “low-intensity war” against Islamabad from Afghan soil.
In an interview with Al Arabiya English’s webtv show “Counterpoints”, the defence minister said that the Taliban regime and New Delhi have been in a relationship for a long time.
To a question, the defence czar said that the Taliban regime recently launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, adding that the attack occurred when Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on a visit to India.
“The Taliban regime has had long-standing ties with Delhi. Recently, their minister visited India for eight or nine days, and during that period, there were clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We retaliated because of cross-border attacks in which we lost many soldiers,” he added.
The minister said, “There’s no doubt the Taliban have become an Indian proxy. India is waging a low-intensity war against us from Afghan territory to settle scores.”
Responding to a question, Asif said that India was behind the collapse of peace talks between Pakistan and the Taliban regime.
“On three or four occasions, they [Taliban delegation] had agreed to the terms being developed during the talks over the last four days. They accepted our point of view and recognised that most of these TTP terrorists are living on their territory.”
“They acknowledged the issue but were not ready to put anything in writing. We now want them to put it in writing so the international community can see for themselves that they are harbouring terrorists — not only TTP but all kinds of terror groups,” he added.
The minister added: “It’s [Taliban regime] not only a threat to neighbours but to world peace.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the four-day talks in Istanbul with the Afghan Taliban had ended without a breakthrough, despite Pakistan repeatedly presenting evidence-backed counterterrorism demands, confirmed Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar early Wednesday.
In an X post, Tarar said: “The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution.”
Stern warning to Taliban regime
A day earlier, the defence minister issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban regime.
In a post on X, the defence minister said that Pakistan had engaged in talks at the request of brotherly countries in an effort to give peace a chance, but “venomous statements” by certain Afghan officials clearly reflect the devious and splintered mindset of the Taliban regime.
“We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom,” the defence czar posted on X.
Asif further added: “Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require employing even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora with their tails between their legs would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region.”
