Pakistan waging war to dodge Mecca pact, alleges Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid

Diplomatic and military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have reached a very serious point. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, has levelled a major allegation against Pakistan, saying Islamabad is deliberately creating war-like conditions with Afghanistan. Addressing people at an event at a religious madrasa in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Thursday, Mujahid launched a sharp attack on Pakistan's military policies.

Mujahid said Pakistan is stoking hatred and war along the border to escape its responsibilities under international agreements. In a startling claim, he said Pakistan is carrying out military action in Afghanistan specifically to avoid the terms and responsibilities of the Mecca agreement it reached with Saudi Arabia, so as to project to the world that Pakistan is caught up in a war with Afghanistan.

In his speech, the Taliban spokesman alleged that Pakistan is playing a political and strategic game by repeatedly carrying out military attacks on the Afghan border. He said Pakistan is currently in very poor shape politically, economically and in terms of security, and that it has recently attacked Afghanistan to divert attention from these domestic problems and public anger. According to Mujahid, this is exactly why the Pakistani military is targeting Afghan areas.

Pakistan has recently carried out heavy air and drone strikes in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces. According to information given by Afghan officials, four innocent Afghan civilians were killed in these air strikes. Notably, Kandahar is considered the main stronghold of the Taliban's top leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, so the strikes on this area have caused intense anger within the Taliban administration.

On the other side, Pakistan's information minister and military sources have defended the strikes and put forward Islamabad's position. According to Pakistan's information minister, the Pakistani military carried out highly precise strikes on 10 separate military and terrorist locations in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan did not make public complete details of all 10 locations, though Islamabad reiterated that anti-Pakistan terrorist activities are being run from Afghan soil.

Pakistan claims that Afghan territory is being used to carry out continuous terrorist and drone attacks inside its borders, and that this retaliatory action was necessary for its territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens. Meanwhile, the Taliban government in Kabul has rejected all of Pakistan's allegations and stated clearly that its soil poses no threat to any country. These contradictory claims from both sides have pushed tensions between the two South Asian neighbours to their peak, posing a major threat to peace in the region.