Afghanistan and Pakistan have been in a tight spot and the situation has gone out of proportions after Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Defence Minister of the Afghan Taliban, made a blunt threat to Islamabad.
Afghan Taliban Defence Minister Issues Stark Warning to Pakistan Amid Rising Border Tensions
TOLONews interviewed Mujahid, who responded that any attack against Kabul would receive retaliation within the capital of Pakistan. Should Kabul be attacked he said, the reply would be in Islamabad and this indicated the increasing animosity between the neighbouring states. His statements are against a backdrop of escalating tensions along the border and allegations of cross-border militancy and threats to security by both sides of their common border.
‘We are not afraid’
Another point made by Mujahid was that Afghanistan was ready to enter into a long lasting conflict should there be one. Should they prolong this war to a decade, we can fight a decade long. ‘We are not afraid’, said he, and gave the armaments of Afghanistan a war like stance. However, with the powerful rhetoric, he demanded that Kabul is not an aggressor of war and presented the conflict as a continuation of years of political and territorial differences. The biggest source of contention is the Durand Line the border that previously has been a source of a poor relationship between the two countries. Mujahid further alleged that the Pakistani troops had suffered immense defeats in cross border battles with the forces in Afghanistan.
What Are The Demands Of Pakistan?
The other significant concern that was brought up by the Afghan defence minister was the demand by Pakistan that Kabul should declare the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a terrorist group. Mujahid rejected this demand by Islamabad as imaginary and unrealistic showing the unwillingness of the Taliban leadership to fulfill one of the most important security requirements of Pakistan. He went ahead to say that Pakistan was losing this war further escalating the war of words between the two parties. Analysts believe that the powerful words might be used to relay domestic politics as well as a warning strategy that the possible outcome of any further military escalation aimed at them can have dire consequences. As the two governments hold on to their stances, the conflict is one of the most antagonistic stages in the Afghanistan-Pakistan relations in recent years.
