Pakistan's military has again blamed India for using Afghanistan as a proxy to target Islamaba-- a claim which had been rejected multiple times by New Delhi. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during a press conference on Friday, linked India with Islamabad's ongoing conflict with Kabul. However, he did not provide any concrete evidence to back his tall claims. However, this time, Talian was quick to reject the claims. It dubbed the claims as "baseless" and "illogical". It said such narratives are being deliberately constructed to mislead certain groups and serve specific political agendas.
“It is absolutely clear that behind every incident of terrorism in Pakistan, there is Indian sponsorship, abetment, and design. They use the territory under the oppressive Afghan Taliban regime as a base of operations,” said Chaudhry.
“Our forces are always vigilant on all frontiers—eastern, western, air, and sea. If anyone wants to "fulfil their desire" at any time, they are always welcome,” he added.
Briefing about the ongoing military operation against Kabul, he claimed 274 personnel of the Taliban regime and Khwarij “have been sent to hell”. More than 400 are injured, he added.
The baseless statement from the Pakistani military came hours after Pakistan's defence minister said that his country ran out of "patience" and considers that there is now an "open war" with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.
Pakistan has habit of blaming India
Notably, this is not the first time when the Pakistani military official pointed blame at India. Earlier, at least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Islamabad on February 5. Pakistan had accused India of the attack.
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Describing the attack as "condemnable", India’s Ministry of External Affairs- a wing which oversees foreign affairs, termed the incident unfortunate and added, instead of seriously addressing the problems plaguing its social fabric, Pakistan chose to "delude" itself by blaming others for its home-grown ills.
Taliban rejects Pakistan's baseless claims against India
When asked about reported claims that India maintains extensive ties with the Islamic Emirate and the TTP, and that New Delhi is behind the ongoing conflict, Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid termed it baseless and illogical. He said such narratives are being deliberately constructed to mislead certain groups and serve specific political agendas.
“Afghanistan maintains diplomatic relations with India, just as it has with Pakistan. At no point has Afghanistan allowed its territory to be used as a battleground for proxy rivalries between other states. The Islamic Emirate has not been used as a tool against any country, nor has it been influenced or manipulated by external powers,” he said.
“While we maintain cordial relations with India, those ties are not directed against Pakistan. Similarly, our relationship with Pakistan is not used against India. We categorically reject the claim that India is responsible for or involved in the current conflict,” maintained the Taliban official in New Delhi.
(With inputs from agency)