Pakistan-Taliban nexus exposed as PTM's Mohsin Dawar lays bare truth about Afghan crisis

In a major embarrassment for Pakistan on Tuesday, parliamentarian Mohsin Dawar nailed the role of his nation in exporting Taliban terrorists to Afghanistan. Elected to the Pakistan National Assembly in 2018 as a member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, he has consistently spoken against the torture and killings of Pashtuns who are treated by the authorities as "third-class citizens". Speaking on the floor of the Pakistan National Assembly on Tuesday, he backed Afghanistan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh's claim that the Taliban is guided by his country's special forces from Peshawar and Quetta. 

To buttress his point, he cited Pakistan President Arif Alvi's tweet expressing sympathy with the Taliban. The first part of Alvi's tweet dated July 11 read, "Two issues that threaten Pakistan's emerging economy. One is unrest in Afghanistan on which we hope: Taliban and their countrymen find peace and healing". According to him, this was akin to invading a nation. Moreover, he revealed that the bodies of dead Taliban terrorists were being brought to Pakistan for burial. He asserted, "Our (Pakistan's) only favourites in Afghanistan are the Taliban". 

Pakistani parliamentarian Mohsin Dawar remarked, "This is just like an invasion. It is a step towards attacking your neighbouring country. You are supporting the terrorists who are fighting their government there. In the last few days, a provincial Minister stated in the Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that the Taliban are fighting our war." 

"There was a video doing the rounds day before yesterday regarding the dead bodies of Taliban terrorists being brought here for burial. In Peshawar city, a Taliban terrorist's body is greeted by a procession and slogans were shouted. And then we lament that the world is hurling accusations at us," he added. 

Concerns over Taliban takeover

As the US military mission in Afghanistan comes to an end on August 31, concerns have grown over the Taliban pushed back against the elected government in the country. While the US-led coalition forces had ousted the terrorist organization from power in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attack, it has been gradually regaining territory over the last few years. As per reports, the Taliban now controls 204 of 407 districts as against the Afghan government whose writ runs large in 74 districts. 

While the Taliban had committed to cut ties with foreign terror outfits threatening the security of the US and its allies as per the agreement signed on February 29, 2020, it is believed that Pakistan-based outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are active in Afghanistan. Moreover, Afghan officials have regularly accused Pakistan of providing a safe haven to the Taliban top brass. Recently, Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed admitted that the kin of many Taliban terrorists lives in his country.