Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senior leader and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Irfan Siddiqui Thursday warned Afghan Taliban of dire consequences if they did not change the strategy of using terrorism as a weapon.
If the Kabul government did not change its strategy of using terrorism as a major weapon, they will have to face the consequences,” Senator Siddiqui said in an interview with a private TV channel. Talking about the 48-hour ceasefire, he said that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates should persuade the Kabul government to completely stop providing sanctuaries, training camps and every kind of resource to the TTP and similar terrorist organisations, and ensure that this process is enforced. “Otherwise, this drama of hours-long ceasefires will not continue,” he added. He said, Imran Khan seeks the release of on parole in the name of eliminating terrorism. Siddiqui said that Khan wants to achieve this feat as a released prisoner. But he was Prime Minister and everything was under his control, he brought 5,000 TTP fighters and some 40,000 members of their families — whose hands were stained with the blood of our martyrs — into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Today we are reaping the harvest he sowed and every day we are carrying funeral shrouds, he added. Siddiqui said that since 1980 a succession of pro-Russian jihadist parties, the Taliban and US-aligned governments have been established in Afghanistan that led to creating a situation without parallel. In the past four years the scale of terrorism has increased by 60 percent. 2024, there were 2,414 fatalities. But there had been 2,546 fatalities in first three quarters of this year, he added. Responding to a question, Senator Siddiqui said he did not know which lesson Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaki had gone to Modi for, and which lesson he returned with. “There is no longer any doubt that the Afghan regime is acting as a proxy for India,” he added. He said that it seemed Afghanistan has forgotten what India’s role was when Pakistan was fighting the Russians for the freedom of Afghans. Senator Siddiqui said that in 1995 he had visited Kandahar with the late MaulanaSamiulHaq and met Mullah Omar. Recalling Mullah Omar’s address to a large gathering wherein he had said that future generations — and their descendants would never forget Pakistan’s favour.
“We will teach our children that if Afghanistan and Pakistan are both tested at the same time, fight for Pakistan first, and Afghanistan afterwards,” he quoted Mullah Omar. Senator Siddiquiquestioneds whether today’s rulers in Kabul consider Mullah Omar their Amir al-Mu’minin and leader. Referring to 2014 talks, he said when the committee was negotiating with the TTP and its spokesman ShahidullahShahid was talking about a ceasefire, Khalid Khurasani group executed 23 FC personnel who were already in custody and sabotaged the whole process. Senator Siddiqui said that if the Kabul government cannot control the terrorists itself, Pakistan should be allowed to act on the basis of its intelligence. Pakistan has no enmity with Kabul’s rulers so long as they do not become protectors, patrons and accomplices of terrorists, he said. He said that the Afghan rulers cannot deceive us with ceasefire as they sit in India’s lap and are providing shelter the TTP.
In response to a question he asked how Imran Khan could now, after being released on parole, talk about solving this problem since he was responsible all the mess. Senator Siddiqui said the Kabul administration is unconcerned with the problems of its own people because there are no elections and no one has to go ask the public for votes. Besides friendly Islamic countries, China can also play an effective role. U.S. President Trump has also expressed a desire to play a similar role. Pakistan welcomes these efforts wholeheartedly, provided there is no further loss of life. We are fully capable of holding those who murder our loved ones accountable, he said.
