Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of the Afghan Parliament in exile, on Friday urged India to take a decisive role in holding Pakistan accountable for its decades-long support for terrorism and its dangerous nuclear arsenal, noting that the country is "strong enough" to expose Islamabad's actions on international platforms and push for global sanctions.
Solaimankhil’s comments, made in an interview with news agency ANI, came as fresh clashes broke out between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid Islamabad declaring “open war” against Kabul’s Taliban government.
The MP-in-exile said that India can demand accountability for the millions of lives affected by Pakistan's "terroristic deep state policies", while slamming the country for its dictatorial style of ruling.
"India needs to bring this up on an international platform about how Pakistan is extremely dangerous because they have nuclear weapons. How can a country that harboured Osama bin Laden and created dozens of terrorist organisations and has admitted numerous times that they've done all this dirty work still have nuclear weapons? They should be sanctioned; they should be held responsible. They should be denuclearised immediately. And India is strong enough to do that," Solaimankhil said in the interview.
Slamming Pakistan's claims of being a victim of terrorism, Solaimankhil called out Islamabad’s "military dictatorship" and the generals in Rawalpindi who, according to her, "have made a business out of war." She also criticised Pakistan's attempts to manipulate media narratives and maintain “a facade of legitimacy” while continuing destabilising activities in the region.
{{/usCountry}}Slamming Pakistan's claims of being a victim of terrorism, Solaimankhil called out Islamabad’s "military dictatorship" and the generals in Rawalpindi who, according to her, "have made a business out of war." She also criticised Pakistan's attempts to manipulate media narratives and maintain “a facade of legitimacy” while continuing destabilising activities in the region.
{{/usCountry}}"The gig is up for Pakistan. I think the drapes are pulled, and we can see the full picture. I think everyone knows what they're capable of. What Pakistan likes to do is they like to create troll accounts online, they like to manipulate the media, they like to act as if they won, and they like to show big numbers which are not true. It's not a democracy in that country. It's a dictatorship, a military dictatorship, and we know exactly what it is. Now, some people have made a business out of war, and those people are the generals in Rawalpindi," she added.
‘Open war’ between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.
The operation, codenamed Ghaziabad lil-Haq, was Pakistan's most widespread bombardment of the Afghan capital and its first airstrikes on the southern power base of the Taliban authorities since they returned to power in 2021.
According to a report by AFP, a camp accommodating Afghans returning from Pakistan was hit by the fighting overnight.
Pakistan's latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in retaliation for earlier air strikes by Islamabad.
Relations between the neighbours have plunged in recent months, with land border crossings largely shut since deadly fighting in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.
Most of the attacks have been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that has stepped up assaults in Pakistan in recent years.
Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif declared an "all-out confrontation" with the Taliban government, posting on X: "Now it is open war between us and you."