PESHAWAR, Feb 27 (APP): The security and foreign policy experts here Friday claimed a nexus between the Afghan Taliban and terrorists groups backed by India to destabilize the region.
They said the recent unprovoked firing on Pakistani border posts in multiple areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have tesfied this nexus between Afghan Taliban regime and banned Fatinul Khwaraj being proxy of India to destabilize Pakistan through transporting terrorism.
Speaking to APP, Brigadier (R) Mehmood Shah, former Secretary Law and Order of erstwhile Fata termed the cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban regime a serious violation of UN Charter and Doha Agreement, saying that Pakistani forces bravely responded in self-defence.
He said Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to act against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in line with commitments made under the Doha Agreement, which obligates Afghan Taliban to prevent the use of their soil for attacks against other countries.
According to Mehmood Shah, the alleged involvement of Afghan nationals in recent attacks within KP strongly indicates the continued presence of terrorists training camps inside Afghanistan.
He maintained that repeated violations by Afghan Taliban regime left Pakistan with no option but to respond decisively against terror network inside Afghanistan.
He also said that more than 80 tanks, artillery guns, and armored personnel carriers were destroyed during Pakistan effective retaliatory operations.
Brigadier Mehmood Shah claimed that Afghanistan continues to serve as a safe haven for terrorist groups, adding that several banned TTP operatives released from Afghan prisons after the Taliban takeover in 2021 were now involved in cross-border attacks.
He cited the recent suicide attack in Bajaur, in which 11 security personnel were killed, as evidence of what he described as an Afghan Taliban–TTP nexus backed by India to destabilize Pakistan.
Mehmood Shah said that Afghanistan has remained at the center of geopolitical rivalries since the 1979 Soviet invasion and the 2001 intervention led by the United States.
He said that Pakistan has tried hard to give peace a chance during recent Istanbul talks but the Afghan Taliban’s negative rhetoric made it unsuccessful.
Dr. Adnan Sarwar Khan, former Chairman of International Relations at the University of Peshawar, claimed that the Afghan Taliban were using terrorism as financial leverage in regional politics.
He argued that Pakistan’s demands for dismantling terrorists infrastructure in Afghanistan were consistent and in line with international obligations.
“No country has suffered more from the Afghan conflict than Pakistan,” he said, pointing to decades of hosting over four million Afghan refugees, thousands of casualties from terrorism, and significant economic losses.
Similarly, Dr. Zahid Anwar, Professor of Political Science at the University of Peshawar, condemned the unprovoked aggression of Afghan Taliban last night and said Pakistan’s military response carried out in self-defence was highly commendable.
He said that Pakistani forces, supported by artillery and the Pakistan Air Force, were fully capable of safeguarding national borders.
He emphasized that lasting regional peace and economic cooperation would remain elusive unless militancy and terrorism was completely eradicated from Afghanistan.
While underscoring Pakistan’s diplomatic and economic outreach efforts, he said the responsibility now lies with Afghan authorities to address terrorism concerns through dialogue rather than continued confrontation.
Experts said that the evolving situation presents a critical moment for regional stability, urging constructive engagement to prevent further escalation.
They said that peace was imperative for regional peace and stability, demanding Afghan Taliban not to become proxy of India and stop transporting terrorism inside Pakistan.