Panicked Pakistan seeks Trump’s intervention for truce with Afghanistan, blames India for proxy war
Islamabad: Unsure of the fragile ceasefire with the Taliban, Pakistan has sought US President Donald Trump’s intervention to alleviate tensions after border clashes with Afghanistan, which left several people dead on both sides, media reports said.
Islamabad and Kabul agreed to stop fighting after a week of violence, with Pakistan making air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif appealed for Trump’s help during an interview with Geo TV.
Going overboard with flattery of Trump, a signature strategy pursued by Pakistan to earn America’s favour, Asif invited him to mediate between the estranged allies.
"I think presidents in America have been responsible for wars. This is the first president (Trump) who has stopped wars. In the last 15-20 years, the US has sponsored wars, and he (Trump) is the first president to negotiate peace. If he wants to look into the Pakistan-Afghanistan war, he is most welcome," the Pakistani defence minister said.
Trump has already aired his desire to broker a peace deal between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"I hear there is a war now between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I'll have to wait till I get back - I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars," the US President said in Egypt during the Gaza peace summit.
Pakistan claims India’s involvement
Visibly stressed over the tenacity of the truce, Pakistan has urged Trump’s involvement to strike a watertight peace deal with Afghanistan.
Reflecting Pakistan’s panic, Asif went on to claim that the Taliban was fighting a ‘proxy-war’ on India’s behalf.
"I have my doubts if the ceasefire will hold, because the decisions of the (Afghan) Taliban are being sponsored by Delhi... Right now, Kabul is fighting a proxy war for Delhi," Khawaja Asif said.
"Muttaqi (Taliban foreign minister) is back after a week-long trip to India. It remains to be seen what plan he has brought along with him," the Pakistani minister further said.
Why Pakistan needs Trump’s help?
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has killed hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021. Last week, Pakistan targeted TTP camps in Kabul, leading to intense clashes between the countries.
Pakistan conducted air strikes in Kandahar province, killing dozens of Taliban fighters, just two days into the ceasefire, following appeals by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Pakistan claimed it had killed 200 "Taliban and affiliated terrorists", while Taliban said it neutralised "a large number" of Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory fire, and seized Pakistani weapons and tanks.
Taliban’s claims were supported by images and videos of Taliban fighters riding on a seized Pakistani T-55 tank and displaying trousers and weapons of Pakistani soldiers, who allegedly escaped amid Taliban attack on their outposts, has left Pakistan exposed.
Further, the ease with which the unorganised Taliban fighters captured Pakistani outposts and killed several of its soldiers reveal Islamabad’s surveillance and intelligence failures.
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