Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said Pakistan is neither responsible for the actions of the Taliban and neither is Pakistan the group’s spokesperson.
Khan while speaking to speaking reporters in Islamabad said:”What the Taliban are doing or are not doing has nothing to do with us and we are not responsible, neither are we the spokesperson of the Taliban.”
He reiterated that Islamabad wants only peace in Afghanistan.
When asked about India, the premier said Pakistan would not accept Indian participation in the Afghan peace process till New Delhi reverts its “illegal” decisions of August 5, 2019.
“Pakistan has always desired for peace with India, but it was India which did not want peace because it was at present under the influence of RSS ideology,” The Express Tribune quoted Khan as saying.
He said Pakistan was ready and willing to do anything necessary for a peaceful settlement of the Afghan issued but ruled out using force against the Taliban.
“We believe that Afghanistan cannot be controlled from the outside. Our policy is to have the best relationship with whoever the people of Afghanistan choose,” Khan was quoted as saying.
Khan further said it was unfortunate that Pakistan was being blamed for the Afghan crisis as it was Pakistan that convinced the Taliban to come to the negotiation table.
“What interest would Pakistan possibly have for a civil war in Afghanistan? We would do everything short of military action against the Taliban as doing so would only drag Pakistan into a conflict.”
He further said that the civil war would spill over to Pakistan’s tribal areas, and said at least 70,000 Pakistanis were killed earlier when the country took part in the US-led war on terror.
On the provision of military bases to the US in Pakistan, Imran asked what could the US possibly achieve from operating out of Pakistan which they could not achieve by operating in Afghanistan for two decades.
“It was a flawed strategy. They should have talked to the Taliban from a position of strength when there were 150,000 NATO soldiers present in Afghanistan. There is no reason for the US to operate from Pakistan,” Khan was quoted further saying. It would only drag Pakistan into a conflict, he said.
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