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Tag: Taliban

  • ‘Extremely unfair to allege Pakistan supported Taliban’: PM Khan

    ‘Extremely unfair to allege Pakistan supported Taliban’: PM Khan

    In an interview with PBS Newshour, Judy Woodruff asked Prime Minister Imran Khan about Pakistan’s alleged military, intelligence, and financial support to Afghanistan.

    PM Khan replied, “I find this extremely unfair.”

    The premier added that when the Pakistani government decided to join the United States (US) war on terror, “we were devastated by that”. PM said that 70,000 Pakistanis died because of the US war in Afghanistan, even when “Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened” [in New York on September 11, 2001].

    Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan at the time, and “there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan,” he said, maintaining that Pakistan was not involved in the 9/11 attacks.

    “We had nothing to do with it,” he repeated, regretting that the war in Afghanistan had resulted in a loss of $150 billion to Pakistan’s economy.

    PM further added that the US “really messed it up in Afghanistan”.

    Judy Woodruff asked PM Imran about claims of Taliban sanctuaries being present in Pakistan and a report about 10,000 fighters crossing the border to help the group in Afghanistan.

    “Judy, for a start, this 10,000 Taliban — or as the Afghan government says, Jihadi fighters — have crossed over, is absolute nonsense. Why don’t they give us evidence of this?” asked PM Imran.

    To a question about safe-havens, the premier questioned where the sanctuaries are located in Pakistan.

    “Taliban are not some military outfit. They are normal civilians. If there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?” asked PM Imran.

    “First of all, they tried to look for a military solution in Afghanistan when there was never one. And people like me, who know the history of Afghanistan and kept saying there isn’t a military solution, were called anti-American. I was called Taliban Khan,” said PM Imran.

    The prime minister further added, “I don’t know what the objective was in Afghanistan, whether there was to have some nation-building, democracy or liberate the women. Whatever the cause was, the way they went about it was never going to be the solution.”

    “When they finally decided there is no military solution, unfortunately, the bargaining power of the American or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces had gone,” said the premier.

    “Once they had reduced the troops to barely 10,000 and when they gave the exit date, Taliban thought they had won,” said PM Imran. He added that it is difficult right now to ask the group to compromise or “force them” to take a political solution.

    “It’s very difficult to force them into a political solution because they [Taliban] think that they won,” said PM Imran.

    PM Khan further said, “Pakistan is hosting over three million Afghan refugees. And what we fear is that a protracted civil war would [bring] more refugees. And our economic situation is not such that we can have another influx.”

    “Secondly, the worry is that the civil war will flow into Pakistan because Taliban are ethnic Pashtuns. Now there are more Pashtuns on our side of the border than Afghanistan. And so the worry is if this goes on, the Pashtuns on our side will be drawn into it and that is also the last thing we want,” said PM Imran.

  • ‘To blame Pakistan is extremely unfair’: PM Khan tells Ashraf Ghani

    ‘To blame Pakistan is extremely unfair’: PM Khan tells Ashraf Ghani

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday countered Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s claims about Pakistan’s “negative role” in the Afghan peace process and said, “To blame Pakistan for what is going on in Afghanistan I feel is extremely unfair.” PM Khan was addressing the international conference on “Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities” during his two-day visit to Uzbekistan.

    “President Ghani, let me just say that the country that will be most affected by turmoil in Afghanistan is Pakistan. Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties in the last 15 years. The last thing Pakistan wants is more conflict,” the premier said

    “To blame Pakistan for what is going on in Afghanistan, I feel, is extremely unfair,” said PM Khan.

    “Why would I come to Kabul if I was not interested in peace? The whole idea was that Afghanistan should have looked at Pakistan as a partner in peace. I feel really disappointed that we have been blamed for what is going on in Afghanistan.”

    “I repeat, the last thing we want is turbulence in Afghanistan,” said PM Khan.

    PM Khan added, “What is happening in Afghanistan is over two decades of conflict, deep divisions, and unfortunately the United States (US) seeking a military solution when there was no one. When there were 150,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan, the greatest military machine, that was the time to ask the Taliban to come on the table. Why were the Taliban to compromise when their existing date was given and with only a few thousand American troops left? Why would they [Taliban] listen to us, when they are sensing victory?”

    He said that he had a conversation with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev about how all the neighbours in the region can help the Afghan peace process. 

    “All neighbours are interested in a peace settlement in Afghanistan. There are already three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We are petrified that will be another flow of refugees coming in. We do not have the capacity or the economic strength to bear another flow of refugees. So I can assure you again, if any country is trying its best of all the countries in the world, it’s Pakistan today.”

     Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Faiz Hameed Friday rejected the allegations of infiltration levelled by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

     Afghan president had levelled unsubstantiated accusations against Pakistan, saying that 10,000 fighters had crossed over into Afghanistan from Pakistan.

    “If talks fail, we will fight the Taliban,” said Ghani. “This is the last chance for peace,” he had said.

    DG ISI explicitly stated that these accusations against Pakistan are not true. In fact, infiltration is being done from Afghanistan, he added.

    “We want peace in the neighbouring country as a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and other countries,” DG ISI said.

    He said that Pakistan is not supporting any group in Afghanistan. “We are interested in a negotiated settlement among all the Afghan groups,” added DG ISI.

  • Taliban snatch three billion Pakistani rupees from Afghan forces

    Taliban snatch three billion Pakistani rupees from Afghan forces

    The Taliban have snatched three billion Pakistani rupees that they found at checkposts of Afghan security forces along a Pak-Afghan border crossing, reports Geo News.

     A statement released by the Afghan Taliban said that around Rs3 billion in Pakistani currency was found from the checkposts of the Afghan forces in the Spin Boldak area of ​​Kandahar, which was evacuated by the Afghan security forces.

    “The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement.

    Read More: ‘No smoking, shaving’: Afghan Taliban’s first orders

    “With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak and Chaman and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”

    Pakistan security forces confirmed the Taliban had captured the crossing. The Afghan defense ministry said it was checking developments.

    Analysts say the Rs3 billion amount was reportedly given by smugglers as a bribe to the Afghan forces. They say the Afghan intelligence agency, NDS, used the money to pay terrorists to plan attacks in Pakistan.

  • ‘No smoking, shaving’: Afghan Taliban’s first orders

    The Taliban issued their first orders in the form of letter to a local imam after capturing a remote district in Afghanistan’s north, which says that women cannot go to the bazaar without a male companion, among other directives, AFP has reported.

    As per Sefatullah, 25, a resident of Kalafgan district, the letter said “women can’t go to the bazaar without a male companion, and men should not shave their beards,” adding that whoever breaks the rules “will be seriously dealt with”.

    Last month, the Afghan Taliban took Shir Khan Bandar, a northern customs post that connected the country to Tajikistan over a US-funded bridge that spanned the Panj river.

    Sajeda who worked in a local factory told AFP that after Shir Khan Bandar fell, the Taliban “ordered women not to step out of their homes”.

    “There were many women and young girls doing embroidery, tailoring and shoe-making … The Taliban’s order has now terrified us,” she added further.

    The letter issued in the name of the Taliban’s cultural commission says, “All imams and mullahs in captured areas should provide the Taliban with a list of girls above 15 and widows under 45 to be married to Taliban fighters.”

    However, the Taliban denied issuing any such letter.

    “These are baseless claims,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban.

  • Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    The Afghan Taliban have claimed that they have captured the important Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, reports Geo News.

    “The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” a statement was given by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

    “With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak, Chaman, and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”

    “The Taliban have taken control of the Afghan side of the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing,” a Pakistani security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    “They have raised their flag and removed the Afghan flag.”

    “The Pak-Afghan border at Chaman is on high alert,” said Levies officials. “Additional security has been deployed at the gate.” Pakistan has also suspended activities at the Chaman crossing point.

    “We are in contact with the local leadership of the Taliban on resuming trade and movement of people,” said Levies officials.

    Earlier this week, after seizing about one-third of Afghanistan’s districts, the Taliban swept through the northeastern Badakhshan province, reaching the mountainous border with China’s Xinjiang region.

  • US has never asked for military bases within Pakistan,’ says senior western diplomat

    US has never asked for military bases within Pakistan,’ says senior western diplomat

    The United States (US) has “at no stage or at any level even asked” Pakistan for military bases, as its forces depart from Afghanistan, a senior western diplomat has said, reports The News.

    “Nobody in the entire US administration asked for bases, and yet there is so much focus on the issue in Pakistan,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak publicly on the subject.

    “The recurring debate and the hashtag ‘Absolutely Not’ campaign in Pakistan has left everyone scratching their heads in Washington,” he said.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, in June, reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the use of military bases and categorically stated that Islamabad will not allow it.

    The prime minister was again asked by the US media for his comments on giving access to the CIA to military bases.

    “Will you allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counter-terrorism missions against Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban?” Swan asked the premier.

    “Absolutely not,” PM Khan responded.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said earlier that Pakistan wants a stable Afghanistan, but there are some elements who do not want peace in the region.

    The FM had categorically stated that Pakistan has refused to give military bases to the US and added that he had told all the political parties in a briefing that they have no such intention.

    “Search for bases could be their wish. There’s no question of giving them bases, we have to see our interest.”

  • ‘Shehbaz said if PM was at security briefing, he would not attend’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry during an appearance on Geo News’ morning show ‘Geo Pakistan’ revealed that the prime minister’s absence from the military and intelligence leadership’s briefing on national security, Afghanistan, and Kashmir to parliamentary leaders was to accommodate the Leader of Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif.

    “The prime minister was scheduled to attend the national security huddle, but the Opposition leader [Shehbaz Sharif] had conveyed to the Speaker [National Assembly] that if [PM Imran Khan] came to the briefing, he would not attend,” said Fawad.

    Fawad added that the government hopes and prays that there is a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan.

    “We are pushing for negotiations in Afghanistan,” he said.

    “There are three million Afghan nationals in Pakistan. If another three million are pushed in, it will put a lot of pressure on our economy,” he said.

    “It won’t be so easy for the Taliban to take over the government,” Chaudhry said on the prospects for peace in the war-torn neighbour. “We want that the Afghan Taliban and the Ghani government negotiate [a way out].”

    “We are only concerned when India uses Afghan territories against us,” he added. “[Meanwhile], we will continue to try and mediate between the Afghan Taliban and the Ghani government.”

    However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Shehbaz Sharif did not send any message to anyone.

    “Fawad Chaudhry is a propaganda machine, the meeting was called by the Speaker. How could Shehba Sharif stop him [from inviting someone]? Shehbaz Sharif did not send him any message,” tweeted Marriyum Aurangzeb.

    PML-N spokesperson further said that if there is any official correspondence of Shehbaz Sharif or his office regarding this matter, it should be made public.

  • Not concerned by the contacts between India and Afghan Taliban, says Moeed Yusuf

    Not concerned by the contacts between India and Afghan Taliban, says Moeed Yusuf

    National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf while speaking on Dawn News programme ‘Live with Adil Shahzeb’ said that India should be ashamed of meeting the Afghan Taliban  after having supported operations against the insurgent group for a long time.

    Yusuf was responding to the Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s recent stopovers in Doha to meet with the Taliban leadership twice in the last three weeks.

    “I want to ask this: with what [moral] standing did this Indian high-level official meet [the Taliban] there? Did they not feel ashamed?” Yusuf said when asked how Pakistan viewed the India-Taliban meetings.

    “[The Indians] kept having the Taliban killed daily and kept giving funds for operations against them and today they have reached there to have talks,” he added.

    Yusuf said the meetings were “a matter of shame” and not a strategic move.

    He emphasised that the Taliban, whom the Indians had met, were also “not stupid”, saying he was not concerned by the contacts between India and the insurgent group amid the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    “You should also ask what response the [Indians] got from the [Taliban],” he added.

    Speaking about Pakistan-India relations, the NSA said there were no backdoor talks or dialogue between the two countries for now.

    ‘’India contacted us [and said] that they wanted to fix [relations] and we told them we desired the restoration of pre-August 2019 status of Indian-occupied Kashmir; besides, our policy is based on the ease of life for Kashmiris,’’ he stated.

  • Pak ready to partner for peace in Afghanistan, we will not host US bases: PM for WaPo

    Pak ready to partner for peace in Afghanistan, we will not host US bases: PM for WaPo

     Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an opinion piece for The Washington Post, wrote that Pakistan is ready to be a US partner for peace in Afghanistan, but will not host US bases and avoid risking further conflict.

    “We simply cannot afford this. We have already paid too heavy a price. Meanwhile, if the US, with the most powerful military machine in history, couldn’t win the war from inside Afghanistan after 20 years, how would America do it from bases in our country?”

    He added that Pakistan was ready to be a partner for peace in Afghanistan with the US. “But as US troops withdraw, we will avoid risking further conflict,” wrote PM Khan.

    He said that Pakistan and the US have the same interest in that long-suffering country: a political settlement, stability, economic development and the denial of any haven for terrorists.

    “We oppose any military takeover of Afghanistan, which will lead only to decades of civil war, as the Taliban cannot win over the whole of the country, and yet must be included in any government for it to succeed.”

    Highlighting how Pakistan has suffered from the wars in Afghanistan, PM Khan wrote, “More than 70,000 Pakistanis have been killed. While the US provided $20 billion in aid, losses to the Pakistani economy have exceeded $150 billion.”

    “After joining the US effort, Pakistan was targeted as a collaborator, leading to terrorism against our country from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other groups. US drone attacks, which I warned against, didn’t win the war, but they did create hatred for Americans, swelling the ranks of terrorist groups against both our countries,” wrote the premier.

    Arguing against giving military bases to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for action inside Afghanistan, he said if the United States, with the most powerful military machine in history, couldn’t win the war from inside Afghanistan after 20 years, how would America do it from the bases in Pakistan?

    The prime minister also mentioned the benefits the region would get after peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s desire for increased trade and connectivity with Central Asia for an economic uplift.

    “This is why we have done a lot of real diplomatic heavy lifting to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, first with the Americans, and then with the Afghan government,” PM Khan wrote, highlighting Pakistan’s efforts for peace.

    “We know that if the Taliban tries to declare a military victory, it will lead to endless bloodshed. We hope the Afghan government will also show more flexibility in the talks, and stop blaming Pakistan, as we are doing everything we can short of military action.”

    The premier concluded by saying that promoting economic connectivity and regional trade was the key to lasting peace and security in Afghanistan, adding that further military action was “futile”.

    “If we share this responsibility, Afghanistan, once synonymous with the ‘Great Game’ and regional rivalries, could instead emerge as a model of regional cooperation.”

  • ‘Pakistan will absolutely not allow CIA to use bases for Afghanistan Operations’: PM Khan

    ‘Pakistan will absolutely not allow CIA to use bases for Afghanistan Operations’: PM Khan

    Pakistan will “absolutely not” allow the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use bases on its soil for cross-border counter-terrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan said, Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    In an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, which will be aired Monday at 3:00 am PST, the premier reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the use of military bases and categorically stated that Islamabad will not allow it.

    The US is in talks with Pakistan and other regional countries for cooperation in future operations in the war-torn country to keep a check on militancy.

    The prime minister was again asked by the US media for his comments on giving access to the CIA to military bases.

    “Will you allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross border counter-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban?” Swan asked the premier.

    “Absolutely not,” PM Khan responded.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said earlier that Pakistan wants a stable Afghanistan, but there are some elements who do not want peace in the region.

    The FM had categorically stated that Pakistan has refused to give military bases to the US and added that he had told all the political parties in a briefing that they have no such intention.

    “Search for bases could be their wish. There’s no question of giving them bases, we have to see our interest.”