'Against stable and strong Afghanistan': Taliban slams Pak army; accuses it of 'creating tensions'

NEW DELHI: A day after peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Turkey broke down, the Taliban on Saturday accused “elements within the Pakistani military” of pursuing “anti-Afghanistan policies for years.”

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“Unfortunately, certain military elements in Pakistan appear to view a stable and strong Afghanistan as contrary to their interests,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on X. “They have long exploited Afghanistan’s instability, conflicts, and displacement, and now seem intent on creating tensions through fabricated pretexts.”


Mujahid also rejected claims that the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was linked to the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul. “Some groups have falsely accused the Islamic Emirate, suggesting that instability in Pakistan and the TTP’s growth began with our arrival. In reality, both date back to 2002, a result of misguided policies by certain Pakistani military elements who aligned with the US, permitted drone strikes in Waziristan, and turned against their own people,” he wrote.

He pointed to a series of Pakistani military campaigns against the TTP — including Operations Al-Mizan, Rah-e-Rast, Sher Dil, Nijat, Koh-e-Safid, and Zarb-e-Azb — that, he said, displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. “In this so-called war on terror, 80,000–90,000 soldiers and civilians were killed, by Islamabad’s own count, long before the Islamic Emirate’s rise,” Mujahid added.

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Calling Pakistan’s instability “an internal issue,” Mujahid remarked the Taliban has taken steps to prevent cross-border militancy since taking power. These include mediating dialogue among political and religious figures, relocating refugees from the Durand Line, banning weapons among refugee populations, and issuing fatwas against unauthorized foreign jihad.

“The Islamic Emirate welcomes all efforts that allow refugees to return safely,” he stated, reaffirming that Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used to interfere in another country’s affairs.

(With ANI inputs)