PHOTO: Courtesy TOLO NEWS
In an exclusive interview, Barmak said that the Afghan-India relations “do not concern Islamabad”, insisting that these relations would not have any negative impact on Pakistan.
When asked about the talks between the Pakistani and Afghan leadership in recent months, Barmak said both Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed that Pakistan would mobilise Ulema to declare the war in Afghanistan as ‘Fasaad’ and not Jihad.
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“I think our president has received some reassuring massages from Pakistani side that they are preparing the whole religious community and senior Ulema to adopt that stance. We are waiting for that. This is one of those agreements which were discussed with Pakistan,” he added.
Barmak repeated Kabul government’s stance on terrorist hideouts on Pakistani soil. “I tell you that our intelligence system has already provided information with evidence that these are the locations of those people who are having the sanctuaries, who are enjoying safe havens,” he claimed.
“The Afghan government has always been saying these are the locations of very prominent leaders of the terrorist networks but the Pakistani side always rejected the information the Afghan side provided,” he alleged.
When reminded about the security forces operations in the border areas to purge terrorists from the Pakistani soil, the Afghan minister appreciated the action, but expressed his doubt that the measure was sufficient enough.
“We appreciate all the operations the Pakistani side has conducted against these terrorist networks. But have they been sufficient? Are they quick enough? I think that’s the question because still those terrorist networks are operational,” he said.
“They [terrorists] are coming [to Afghanistan], crossing the Durand Line … there are so many books written by very prominent senior journalists who have done researches about the existence of these terrorist networks on that side,” he said.
The minister denied that the situation could be vice versa, arguing that Afghanistan did not have the capacity nor did it possess the financial resources to harbour any terrorist group or network on its soil.
“Our intelligence system, our government, our ministry, right now we [all] are in a defensive position. We are fighting with terrorists and terrorist networks that have regional links… that have international links.”
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Asked specifically about Mulla Fazlullah, Barmak denied his presence inside Afghanistan. However, he added that if Pakistan provided evidence and location of any terrorist, the Afghan government would take the necessary action.
Barmak defended the Afghan-India relations, insisting that it did not concern Pakistan. “I think our relationship with India is not a matter that concerns Pakistan. Why it should? As for Pakistan’s concern that India is using Afghan soil against Pakistan, we never saw this type of activity,” he said.
The minister referred to a national survey conducted by the Afghanistan National Service and said that the popularity of Indians in Afghanistan was 64%, while the popularity of Pakistanis was 5%.
“I think Pakistani policy makers and leaders should think what they should do to win the confidence of Afghan brothers,” he said.
Barmak said the Afghan government welcomed the refugees, returning from Pakistan and thanked Islamabad for hosting them for decades. “The Afghan government together with the international community has come up with some plan to accommodate those refugees,” he added.
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