Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday accused the Afghan Taliban regime of backing terrorist groups and termed its government “illegitimate” and based on repression.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad regarding recent Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes, the minister said the nexus between terrorists and the Afghan Taliban had become “as clear as daylight”.
He said Pakistan had repeatedly warned that terrorist attacks inside the country were emanating from Afghan soil. “Afghanistan is resorting to the training of these terrorists and facilitation of all kinds to these terrorists who come into Pakistan and kill innocent civilians and our security personnel,” he added.
Referring to Pakistan’s response to what he described as unprovoked attacks by the Afghan Taliban, Tarar said the attackers were neutralised and fled, leaving behind their weapons and bodies of their comrades. He claimed that several Afghan Taliban posts had been captured.
The minister specifically cited two recent attacks in the federal capital, including an attack on a Shia mosque (imambargah) and another at district courts. He also referred to the martyrdom of Lt Colonel Gulfaraz Ahmad, alleging Afghan involvement in these incidents.
Tarar said Afghan soil was being used not only for terrorist attacks in Pakistan but that the Afghan Taliban regime was “fully aligned” with terrorist elements.
Criticising the Taliban government in Kabul, he said it lacked public backing and had usurped the basic rights of Afghan citizens. He alleged that the regime relied on what he called a perversion of religion to strengthen its rule.
The minister said the Taliban’s new criminal regulation “legalises slavery, violence and repression of women” and institutionalises an authoritarian system of control. He claimed the regulation contradicted international human rights standards and encouraged social stratification.
Highlighting the condition of women in Afghanistan, Tarar said women’s lives were undervalued and that a generation of women was being deprived of education due to restrictions imposed by the regime. He further alleged the absence of effective laws to prevent violence against women and accused the authorities of normalising abuse.
Concluding his remarks, the information minister said the Afghan Taliban regime was based on repression and an interpretation of religion that, according to him, did not reflect the basic principles of Islam.