Kabul should behave like a respectable neighbour: Khawaja Asif
Pakistan
Khawaja Asif further said that he realized from the very first day that Kabul government did not have the authority to negotiate, yet Pakistan still held week-long talks with the Taliban delegation
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that Kabul should behave like a respectable neighbour and resolve the issues with Pakistan through talks, warning that if anyone dares cast an evil eye toward Islamabad, we will take their eyes out.
Talking to a private television channel in the federal capital, Khawaja Asif stated that there is an elected government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and we respect it. However, he clarified that those who think we will hold talks with the banned TTP are mistaken.
Khawaja Asif said that Kabul must acknowledge Pakistan’s long sacrifices for Afghan refugees. Pakistan has played an unprecedented role for millions of Afghan refugees.
Talking about Pakistan, Afghanistan peace negotiations, Khawaja Asif said that Kabul was responsible or the stalemate in Pakistan's negotiations with the Afghan Taliban regime, saying that the Afghan delegation was helpless.
He said whenever we got close to an agreement there was some sort of intervention from Kabul that resulted in the suspension of talks. He revealed that the Taliban delegation backed out after giving assurances five times, explaining that whenever they contacted Kabul by phone, they returned expressing helplessness.
Khawaja Asif said that the Taliban delegation was powerless, saying that real power rested in Kabul, which was penetrated by India. He said India has started a proxy war against Pakistan using Kabul to compensate for the humiliating defeat during the May conflict.
Khawaja Asif further stated that he realized from the very first day that the Kabul government did not have the authority to negotiate, yet Pakistan still held week-long talks with the Taliban delegation. He noted that friendly countries like Qatar and Türkiye are closer to Pakistan’s position.
It is worth mentioning that the talks held in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan ended without results. Pakistan has made it clear that it will never accept any form of support or shelter for terrorists.
