Pakistan rejected the Taliban’s “conjectural allegations” that the United States (US) has used its airspace to conduct “counter-terrorism drone operations” in Afghanistan, adding that the claim is “highly regrettable” and defies “norms of responsible diplomatic conduct.”
In a statement on Sunday, the Foreign Office reiterated Pakistan’s “belief in the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Afghanistan.
However, the release reaffirmed the government’s opposition to “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.” To this end, it said that the Afghan authorities must ensure that Afghan soil is not used to orchestrate terrorist activities or promote terrorism against any country.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari highlighted that the government had investigated the Taliban’s claims and confirmed that the US had not used Pakistani airspace. He added, however, that “The Afghan regime has promised not only to its own people, but to the international community that they will not allow their soil to be used for terrorists.”
The patrolling of US drones in the sky of Afghanistan has been multiplied and apparently they are trying to identify the desired targets, when they will attack again. pic.twitter.com/aYfMLYMSRn
— Ajmal Kakar (@AjmalKakar000) August 29, 2022
He added that it is not the right time to debate or exchange accusations, as both governments are focused on rescue and aid operations amid ongoing floods that have claimed over 1,000 lives across the two countries. On Sunday, the Taliban’s acting defence minister, Mullah Yaqub, discussed the defence ministry’s successes during the past year alongside army chief Mullah Fasih Uddin.
He accused Pakistan of allowing its airspace to be used by US drones to enter Afghanistan. He revealed, however, that the Taliban could not collect the exact details of the airspace violations, as Afghan radar systems were destroyed during the Western forces’ evacuation in August 2021.
To this end, he demanded that Pakistan stop allowing American drones to use its airspace. In addition, he urged all neighbouring countries to take back their helicopters and aeroplanes, as the Taliban would not allow anyone to station their defence equipment on Afghan soil.
This is very very problematic! Previously Taliban merely said, "a neighbourly country" & now they named "Pakistan" - this defeats 22 years of Pakistani strategic thinking, sacrifices, struggle & fight to obtain a friendly Afghanistan! Situation demands careful perspective! https://t.co/vlu2eLmlxD
— Moeed Pirzada (@MoeedNj) August 28, 2022
In an apparent warning, Yaqub noted that Afghanistan’s army now comprises 150,000 soldiers, including eight border patrol groups with 3,000 personnel each.
The acting defence minister also reiterated the Taliban’s position that the US had “grossly violated” Afghanistan’s sovereignty as well as the Doha Agreement with its drone strike in Kabul last month that killed Al-Qaeda Chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Reports suggest that the US launched the operation from Pakistani airspace.
I made a promise to the American people that we’d continue to conduct effective counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan and beyond.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2022
We have done that. pic.twitter.com/441YZJARMX
Since Zawahiri’s death, the Taliban has maintained that its officials have not recovered the body or any other evidence of his death, as the drone attack had destroyed everything in the area. The group also insists that it was unaware of the Al-Qaeda chief’s presence in Kabul and reassured that it is is taking all necessary steps to counter terrorism in the country.
Tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan could obstruct the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the Pakistani government and the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP is responsible for several attacks in Pakistan, including the 2014 Peshawar army school attack that caused 149 deaths. In May, the two sides successfully entered into a “permanent ceasefire” in a deal that was brokered by the Afghan Taliban.
Maintaining cordial ties with Islamabad is important for landlocked Afghanistan, which requires goods to move in and out of Pakistan for trade. Nevertheless, since the Taliban’s takeover in August last year, border tensions between the neighbours have skyrocketed, with the Pakistani government accusing the group of orchestrating regular attacks from Afghanistan.