'Musharraf claimed Pakistan gave birth to Taliban to counter India': Former Afghan envoy

While the Pakistan government has repeatedly dismissed that it provides any military or financial support to the Taliban, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mahmoud Saikal, citing former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf, has stated that Pakistan established the terror group in the war-torn country to counter India.

In a tweet, Saikal said that according to Musharraf, Pakistan gave birth to the Taliban to counter Indian action against it. He also slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, stating that his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) believes the Taliban have broken the shackles of slavery. 

Mahmoud Saikal, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Ambassador to the UN and Australia, on Saturday tweeted, "According to @P_Musharraf, Pakistan gave birth to the Taliban to counter Indian action against it. @ImranKhanPTI believes the Taliban have broken the shackles of slavery. @SMQureshiPTI & @YusufMoeed are currently busy lobbying the world to engage with the Taliban."

'Pakistan gave birth to Taliban'

Saikal also cited a report by Matt Waldman Carr Center for Human Rights Policy Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, titled "The Sun in the Sky: The Relationship Between Pakistan's ISI and Afghan Insurgents."

"Only a policy of pressure/sanction and condition-based rapprochement with Pakistan can bring real positive change in Afghanistan and maintain international peace and security," the former Afghan envoy said in a subsequent tweet.

A new UN report, according to Saikal, establishes the symbiotic linkages between ISIL-K, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. According to the UN's latest Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, a large portion of Al-leadership Qaeda's resides in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, alongside Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. In many places of Afghanistan, there are large numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters and other foreign extremist groups affiliated with the Taliban.

ISIS-K & Taliban

It is pertinent to mention that ISIS, which took the responsibility for the Kabul airport bombings, majorly recruits from Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which are all sheltered by Pakistan. However, Pakistan has time and again tried to wash its hands off culpability for the terrorist groups while allowing them to operate freely from its soil. 

Meanwhile, reports suggest that leaders of Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad held a meeting with Taliban leaders in Kandahar in the third week of August, seeking their support for 'India-centric operations'. Indian security and intelligence agencies, after learning of the meeting between JeM-Taliban, have been put on high alert, as the movement of the terrorists across the border areas is being anticipated.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Picture Credit: AP)