Defense Minister Khawaja Asif this week accused the Afghan Taliban of failing to prevent the use of their territory for terrorism, claiming the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is using Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan.
“Islamabad has good relations with the ruling Taliban government in Kabul. However, the Afghan authorities have not succeeded in stopping the use of their territory in attacks on Pakistan,” he told Voice of America in an interview. Explaining that the issue had been brought up during a recent meeting between a high-ranking Pakistani delegation and Afghan officials, he said the Taliban had expressed their “determination to deal with this problem.” The Afghan rulers, he maintained, had reiterated that they would not allow their land to use for terrorism against any country.
Stating that he believes that Afghan Taliban are “distancing” themselves from the TTP, Asif said their linkages from the time when they collaborated against NATO-led forces could not be ignored. Adding to Pakistan’s woes, he said, was militants of the TTP taking possession of advanced military equipment left behind by the U.S. after its exit from Kabul. India, too, he alleged, was aiding the militants.
To a question on the resettlement of TTP leaders in Pakistan—as advocated by former prime minister Imran Khan—the minister claimed this done through a “program,” adding that Khan had repeatedly signaled his “ideological” support of the Taliban. “At various points, the international media has even referred to him as ‘Taliban Khan’,” he added. This plan, he said, was bound to fail because the people of the erstwhile tribal areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa did not wish to “coexist” with the TTP. “It is noteworthy that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban,” he said.
On the prevailing political situation in Pakistan, the defense minister regretted that the PTI chief’s narrative kept shifting. “Imran Khan is now blaming the Army. I don’t know where Imran Khan stands regarding the U.S. and the Army at this time. Starting from America, he has now reached the Punjab IG for conspiring against him,” he said, referring to Khan’s earlier allegations of a U.S.-instigated “regime change conspiracy” leading to his ouster. He has since amended this to claim the “conspiracy” was “exported” from Pakistan to the U.S.
“I don’t understand from his recent statements, whether he stands with the establishment or not, and whether he wants negotiations with the government or not,” Asif continued. “There is no clear stand for them [PTI]. [Former National Assembly speaker] Asad Qaiser and others talk about dialogue. It should be a national dialogue in which the establishment, the media, and members of civil society are present. Only then can national dialogue be successful,” he added.