New Delhi: He said the Taliban may be the army, but the brains of management are in Pakistan and the Taliban have had safe havens in Pakistan.
Afghanistan has yet again eloquently alleged that Pakistan is standing as a principal supporting force ‘behind’ the Taliban. It is a “proxy war”, and the “brains of management” are in Pakistan.
“We think, yes, it is the Taliban doing the work …but it is a proxy war.
Taliban maybe the army, but the brains of management (are in Pakistan),” Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib told BBC in its HardTalk programme on Friday.
To a question, he said that the only help Pakistan “can provide (in fighting against Taliban as of now) is not to support the Taliban.”
Mohib said, “Taliban have had safe havens in Pakistan”, and the Pakistanis have not denied this openly that Taliban leaders are living in their country.
They are provided with health care for the injured ….,” he said, adding ammunition is also supplied.
On Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent statement that the US withdrawal of forces has resulted in boosting the Taliban’s military prospects, he said, “The US announced the withdrawal this year, whereas Taliban have had safe havens in Pakistan for the last 20 years.”
“I am not sure whether Prime Minister Imran Khan is really the person who has any control over this”, he remarked, adding, there is a military establishment that has control over their policy towards Afghanistan.”
To a question whether Jihadists ‘coming over’ into Afghanistan from Pakistan could have been stopped by Islamabad, he said “absolutely”.
Answering questions, he said the Taliban has no legitimacy to push the line that they are fighting for Muslims and the cause of Islam.
“There is already an Islamic system in Afghanistan, it is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan we have ….. The war in Afghanistan has no religious legitimacy,” Mohib said.
“There is no religious ground for the Taliban to stand on anymore. What they are doing is killing Muslims. They are killing the fellow Afghans, they are destroying Afghan property, and to give it a religious flavour or spin is just not acceptable,” the NSA asserted.
In the given situation, he said authorities in Pakistan can help Afghanistan by putting an end to providing “support” to the Taliban. “…it does not require their military to be engaged.” (in fighting Taliban).
He also said that Pakistani leaders make reasonable statements about improving ties with Afghanistan, but these are hardly convincing.
“We have had good words from some Pakistani leaders …but their military and particularly the intelligence agency (ISI) continues to act as the spoiler of peace,” Mohib said.
He said that post US withdrawal, any of the three scenarios can happen in Afghanistan.
“One, we get into a military stalemate for a long time and the Afghan people will continue to suffer Second, perhaps Afghanistan gets fractured and civil war ensues; and the third scenario and desirable scenario is we enter into negotiations,” he said.
However, he said the Taliban have not been sincere about negotiations in the past but instead used the talks to push their agenda of warfare.
