KABUL (SW) – Amid growing rift, experts have warned against escalation in tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kabul and Islamabad witnessed one of the most serious clashes with each other on Monday that started after Pakistan first bombed areas in Khost and Paktika provinces and claimed that it had attacked people affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur, one of the commanders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In response to these attacks, the Islamic Emirate targeted Pakistan’s military centers along the Durand Line, and in addition, the conflict between the border forces of the two countries continued in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Khost until late Monday night. There is no accurate information about the casualties of these conflicts.
Experts consider the continuation of such conflicts to the detriment of both countries. Zia Hussaini, an expert on international relations, says in this regard: “What is certain is that violating the airspace and attacking the borders of a country will certainly cause distance between the two countries and define interests in opposite ways.”
Meanwhile, Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has also suggested that the government of Pakistan and Islamic Emirate solve their problems through dialogue. Patel has expressed concern about the Islamic Emirate’s attack on Pakistan’s military along the Durand Line and also the civilian casualties as a result of Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghanistan.
This is despite the fact that on Monday, after the conflict between the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan, the US ambassador in Islamabad and Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the US State Department, announced that they support Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
However, experts consider Pakistan’s security-oriented policies towards Afghanistan to be one of the causes of such conflicts between the two countries and ask Pakistan to change its approach to security issues such as the TTP issue in order to solve the problems.
Wali Forozan, expert on political issues, says: “Concerns about the TTP that Pakistan has are internal problems, and if Pakistan wants to solve these problems, it must solve them internally, and in this case, if it expects from Afghanistan, this problem does not solve this way.”
Aziz Stanekzai, an expert on security issues said: “Pakistan’s coercive policy has always been created and implemented by the Pakistani military and ISI, and the Pakistani government has no role in this country’s policy towards Afghanistan.”
It should be noted that the Islamic Emirate rejects any presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
