The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistan accused India of providing material and logistical support to Afghanistan’s Taliban government to facilitate attacks by militant groups against Pakistan, escalating a war of words between the two nuclear-armed neighbors at the United Nations.
Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, a counselor at Pakistan’s U.N.
mission, made the allegations while exercising Pakistan’s right of reply to
remarks by an Indian representative at the United Nations on Oct. 7.
Ajmal said India’s closer ties with the Taliban authorities
in Afghanistan were deliberate and alleged that New Delhi was using
humanitarian assistance as a cover for providing support to the Afghan
government.
“Under the garb of humanitarian aid, they have been actively
supporting the Taliban regime with material and logistical support for carrying
out terrorist attacks against Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan has long accused India of backing militant groups
that operate from Afghanistan and carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Ajmal
specifically alleged that India was using proxies in Afghanistan to support the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and the Balochistan Liberation Army, or
BLA.
Pakistan refers to the TTP as “Fitna al Khawarij” and the
BLA as “Fitna al Hindustan.”
“Their newfound love for the Taliban regime is no accident,”
Ajmal said, alleging that India was providing material and logistical
assistance for attacks against Pakistan.
India has previously rejected Pakistani accusations of
sponsoring terrorism and has itself accused Pakistan of supporting militant
groups targeting India.
The allegations come amid strained relations between India
and Pakistan, which have repeatedly traded accusations of supporting armed
groups and terrorism across their borders.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have also faced tensions over
militant attacks and the presence of armed groups along their shared border.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on Taliban authorities to prevent Afghan
territory from being used by militants against Pakistan.
