Pakistan against India's security role in Afghanistan on the backdrop of US-Taliban deal

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday addressed the Upper house of the parliament on the US-Taliban peace deal. According to reports, Qureshi during his briefing said that Pakistan does not want India to play any security role in Afghanistan. Qureshi in his address further added that India has always been a spoiler in Afghanistan who wants to achieve its own objectives in the landlocked country.

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As per reports, Qureshi also talked about the growing presence of Al Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan where he said that Pakistan doesn't want any presence of militant organisations in its neighbouring country as it would disrupt the peace in the region. Qureshi while talking about the United States' offer to the Afghan government to help address the latter's misunderstanding with Pakistan, said that Islamabad wants to resolve all issues with Kabul bilaterally and doesn't want any involvement of a third party.

Qureshi in his address to the Senate further stated that Pakistan cannot give guarantee or take responsibility for peace in Afghanistan as all stakeholders will have to play their role in order to achieve stability in the war-torn country. 

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US-Taliban peace deal

The United States and the Taliban signed the peace deal after 18 months of negotiations and 20 years of war. The deal which was signed in the presence of leaders from Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan would see the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan under a timeline of 14 months. The deal also requires the Taliban to guarantee that their territory will not be used as a launchpad that would threaten the security of the United States and its allies.

Read: Peace Deal With Taliban Is Conditions-based Agreement: US Defence Secretary

The deal was signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a witness. As per reports, more than 1,00,000 Afghan citizens have lost their lives or wounded since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission began documenting casualties. 

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Image Credit: AP