E-Paper
Pakistan accuses Afghan govt of making it 'scapegoat' amid Taliban offensive
Afghanistan has been witnessing a surge in violence after the Taliban fighters intensified their offensive against the government forces.
Pakistan’s national security adviser Moeed Yusuf on Wednesday said that there is a “conscious” effort by the Afghan government to make his country the “scapegoat” as Kabul accuses Islamabad of covertly supporting the Taliban. Afghanistan has been witnessing a surge in violence after the Taliban fighters intensified their offensive against the government forces.
Pakistan has been long accused of helping the Taliban militarily, financially and with intelligence, a claim repeatedly denied by Islamabad. With US troops nearing their final withdrawal, Pakistan is being seen as an important player in the Afghan peace process.
Yusuf told a press briefing in Washington DC that Pakistan wants to maintain good relations with the Afghan government but their “vitriol and rhetoric” was making it impossible, the Dawn newspaper reported.
"We are beginning to see a very conscious, deliberate effort by the Afghan government to scapegoat Pakistan," said Pakistan’s NSA, who was wrapping up a week of talks with the Biden administration.
"We have made it absolutely clear that we are with the international community on where this goes. But the world also needs to be clear that the US invests in a political settlement,” he added.
Also Read | Taliban terrorists shoot 21-year-old Afghan girl dead for not wearing veil: Report
The Taliban has made rapid gains in Afghanistan and now reportedly controls 223 districts even after a late push back by the government forces. Reiterating the statement of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Yusuf said that the stakeholders have to arrive at “some compromise given the ground reality”. He added that Pakistan has no leverage over the Taliban after the troop withdrawal.
The United States wants Pakistan to keep its borders open for Afghan refugees as the war-torn region looks at a possible civil war. But Yusuf said Pakistan, which currently hosts about 3.5 refugees, is no longer in a position to accept more refugees. "Peace in Afghanistan is non-negotiable for us. We under no circumstances are prepared to see protracted instability that in the past has caused spillover into Pakistan," the NSA said.
(With PTI inputs)
