Pakistan must solve its internal problems on its own and not blame Afghanistan for its failures, a Taliban spokesman said Wednesday, responding to Islamabad’s charges that militant attacks in Pakistan have surged manifold since the Taliban reclaimed power in Afghanistan roughly two years ago.
“The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not responsible for maintaining peace in Pakistan,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
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“Since insecurity has increased in Pakistan after the victory of the Islamic Emirate, it does not mean that we are behind the insecurity in Pakistan. Weapons are safe in Afghanistan. They are not stolen. Arms smuggling is prohibited and all illegal activities are prevented,” the statement said.
Mujahid said Afghanistan wants good relations with Pakistan and does not want to interfere in the affairs of other countries.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar accused the interim Afghan administration of providing support to the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), which he claimed is using Afghan soil to plot cross-border attacks against Pakistan.
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“During the last two years when the Afghan Taliban returned to power, terrorist attacks have increased by 60%, while suicide attacks increased by 500% in Pakistan,” Kakar said.
He added that 2,267 Pakistanis lost their lives in these attacks.
“We shared all the details with the Afghan interim government, but they did not take action against TTP terrorists who are living in Afghanistan and using that soil against us,” Kakar said.
The TTP is a conglomeration of several Pakistani militant groups that Islamabad claims are currently inside Afghanistan.
The US meanwhile has said that “no equipment was left behind by American forces during the Afghanistan withdrawal” that could be utilized by terrorists to target Pakistan.