Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has slammed the Taliban government in Afghanistan after failed talks over peace along the borders. Asif accused Kabul of working at the behest of India to create unrest in the region. He said New Delhi was fighting a ‘proxy war’ by using the Taliban as its ‘puppet’.
“India has penetrated the government in Kabul. New Delhi has started a proxy war through Afghanistan. There should not be any doubt on this,” Asif said while speaking with Pakistani TV channel Geo News.
Asif said that the recent talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Turkey failed due to the Afghan side changing their stance four or five times.
“Whenever we got close to an agreement when negotiators reported to Kabul, there was intervention, and the agreement was withdrawn,” he added.
Asif vows retaliation
Asif further warned Afghanistan that if any attack is carried out on Islamabad, it will be retaliated against—50 times over.
Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks collapse in Istanbul
Peace negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have ended without an agreement, Pakistan’s Information Minister announced on Wednesday. He blamed the Taliban government in Kabul for refusing to take action against militants accused of carrying out deadly cross-border attacks.
The talks, held in Istanbul over four days, followed an earlier round in Doha that resulted in a temporary ceasefire on October 19. The ceasefire came after clashes along the border left dozens of people dead, including soldiers, civilians and militants.
Pakistan accused Taliban of sheltering militants
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of providing shelter to militants linked to a rise in attacks across its border. Kabul, however, denies that Afghan territory is being used to launch assaults against Pakistan.
There was no immediate response from the Afghan authorities to the latest statement from Islamabad.
Minister Tariq Fatemi said Pakistan engaged in the peace process at the request of friendly nations, including Qatar and Turkey. He noted that Islamabad first negotiated in Doha and later in Istanbul, giving the Taliban an opportunity to secure peace.
State media in both countries had earlier reported an impasse, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
