Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned Afghans to return to their homeland and accused India of conspiring with Kabul. Tension increased again on the Afghan border, while peace was expected from Doha talks. Is a new script of India-Kabul alliance being written?
Islamabad: Tension has once again increased between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday gave such a statement which created a stir in the entire South Asia. He not only warned the Afghans to return to their country but also accused India of conspiring against Pakistan through Afghanistan.
Asif clearly said, “Now there will be no peace talks or protest letters, terrorism will now be answered with action.” His statement came at a time when the 48-hour ceasefire deadline was ending, and representatives of both the countries were preparing for peace talks in Doha (Qatar).
Has Pakistan broken ties with Afghans?
Khawaja Asif wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Pakistan can no longer maintain “same relations” with Kabul. He said- “The rulers of Kabul are now sitting in the lap of India and conspiring against Pakistan.” According to Asif, the same people who were once protecting Pakistan are now stabbing it in the back. He asked all Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan and return to their homeland – “Now that they have their own government or caliphate in Kabul, they will have to live like neighbours, not as guests.”
Has India become the new character in the Pakistan-Kabul dispute?
Khawaja Asif in his statement said that Kabul has now become a “proxy of India” and New Delhi is trying to destabilize Pakistan by collaborating with banned organizations like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This statement came at a time when Afghan Foreign Minister Aamir Khan Muttaki’s visit to India was in the news. Pakistan believes that this visit is not just about trade but also a sign of India-Afghan closeness.
Can conflict erupt again on the border?
Afghanistan has alleged that Pakistan recently carried out airstrikes on Afghan territory, killing at least 8 people. Three Afghan cricket players are also said to be included in these. After this the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced its withdrawal from the triangular T20 series. Pakistan justified these allegations by saying that these attacks were carried out on Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of TTP, which was behind the suicide attack in North Waziristan.
Have Doha talks become ineffective now?
The tension between the two countries has increased after a 48-hour ceasefire was signed to stop the bloody conflict that has been going on for a week. Now it remains to be seen whether the talks in Doha will be able to stop this growing dispute, or have the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan moved in a new confrontational direction?