Bangkok, Oct 22: Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob has dismissed Pakistan’s allegations that India was behind recent clashes between Kabul and Islamabad, calling them “unfounded, illogical, and unacceptable.” He reaffirmed that the Taliban government seeks to strengthen relations with India based on “mutual respect and national interests.”
“These accusations are baseless. Our policy will never involve using Afghan soil against any country. We maintain independent relations with India and will continue to develop those ties within the framework of our national interests,” Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Umar, was quoted as saying.
Once considered close to Islamabad, Yaqoob criticised Pakistan’s recent statements and urged that peace agreements between the two countries be honoured with mutual respect. “Qatar and Turkey should assist and monitor its implementation. The agreement will only hold if no country violates another’s territory,” he told Al Jazeera, according to Thailand’s Page 3 News.
His remarks followed Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s accusation that the Taliban government was “sitting in India’s lap” and fighting “India’s proxy war.”
Responding earlier to media queries on the issue, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on October 16, “Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorism. It has a long-standing habit of blaming neighbours for its internal failures. Pakistan is angered by Afghanistan asserting sovereignty over its own territories.”
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated since October 11, when explosions in Kabul were followed by Taliban offensives along parts of the southern border. Pakistan, in turn, accused the Taliban of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a claim denied by Kabul. The Taliban has blamed Pakistan’s “provocative airstrikes” for triggering the latest wave of hostilities.
