Fazlur Rehman Says Pakistan’s Afghanistan Policy Follows Former US Line
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, has said that Pakistan is following the same approach toward Afghanistan as the former United States, a policy he said has failed to end insecurity in the region despite years of cooperation and funding in the name of counterterrorism.
Speaking at a gathering in Peshawar, he criticised Pakistan’s closer ties with the United States and Islamabad’s shift in policy, saying Pakistan receives dollars in return for joining the anti-terrorism war, yet terrorism has still not been eliminated after years.
Fazlur Rehman said the United States and NATO bombed Afghanistan for 20 years, actions that were justified under the banner of ensuring security and fighting terrorists. According to him, Pakistan also changed its policy within the same framework and became a US ally.
He also claimed that insecurity has increased to such an extent in some areas of Pakistan that the state’s authority has been weakened and the police chain of command has been damaged.
The remarks come after Sardar Ahmad Shakib, the Taliban administration’s ambassador in Pakistan, previously described differences between neighbouring countries as natural and said problems should be resolved through dialogue, mutual respect and political prudence. He also said the Taliban administration does not pursue confrontation and will not allow Afghan soil to be used against the security and stability of other countries.
Earlier, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a figure in Pakistan’s opposition, had also urged the government to stop its hostile behaviour toward Afghanistan and provide evidence for its claims. Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is considered one of Pakistan’s key cities in connection with political and security developments related to Afghanistan.
