'Taliban is Pakistan's paid proxy force': Canada diplomat lays bare Afghanistan's reality

On August 25, Canadian diplomat and foreign minister Chris Alexander referred to the Taliban as 'Pakistan's paid proxy force'. Urging the international community to 'sanction Pakistan', Alexander accused the PM Imran Khan-led regime of using 'brutal force' to impose a 'military solution'. The statement holds relevance as most of the world has outrightly blamed Pakistan for sponsoring and advancing a 'proxy war' against the Afghanistan government throughout the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces. 

Taking to Twitter, the Canadian diplomat said, "It is cruel, immoral and destructive to keep up the fiction of a Doha 'peace process' or the pretence of normal relations with Pakistan, while Afghans suffer in hell."

"Pakistan is invading and imposing by brutal force the 'military solution' it said was unavailable."

He added, "Anyone denying or omitting to condemn the fact of Pakistan's invasion is now complicit."

Canadian politician blames Pakistan for violence in Afghanistan

Chris Alexander said that Afghanistan's invasion by the extremist outfit occurred with the full backing of the world's sixth-largest army- i.e. is Pakistan. He implied that the Taliban's conquest coupled with Pakistan's 'logistical support' has instilled a 'new level of fear, isolation, poverty and violence into the lives of nearly 40 million Afghans". Citing his reasons for the misuse of power which has led to a major power crisis and violence-infused shift of reins, Alexander sought to sanction Pakistan for contempt. 

Pakistan Army has been ranked the 10th most powerful in the world on the Global Firepower Index 2021 while India ranks 4th, according to data released on its official website. Notably, the Afghan Forces were ranked as the 75th most powerful military in the same Index. 

Furthermore, Chris Alexander shared a reply of Shuvaloy Majumdar, a Foreign Policy Diplomat to a US entity wherein, Majumdar said that "the humanitarian thing to do is 'sanction Pakistan' for atrocities they have sponsored in Afghanistan".

Pakistan - Taliban nexus 

Reports and dialogue exchanges between world leaders suggest that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is Pakistan's top intelligence agency, has 'close contacts' to the Taliban leadership. In fact, Pakistan can be traced back to the early 1970s for supporting different factions of Afghanistan mujahideen fighting against the Soviet occupation. More pertinently, Islamabad allegedly continued to offer logistical support and backing to insurgents.

Pakistan has become the focus of ascending international anger over the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan, with rapidly increasing calls for sanctions or punitive or coercive measures to be imposed on Islamabad. There are plenty who have interpreted the hand of Pakistan behind the Taliban's resurgence, which has led to recriminations levelled at the PM Imran Khan-led State, which is greylisted under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for failing to check its counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering regime.