The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the banned umbrella of militant groups, has categorically said that it will not blindly support Pakistan if the US troops attacked the country.
In a telephone interview with BBC on Saturday, the group’s deputy chief Maulvi Faqir Muhammad also came down hard on the Pakistani government for, what he called, “its double game” in Afghanistan.
“Although Pakistan and the US are allies in the war against terrorism, they don’t trust each other. Instead, the two deceitful allies want to outsmart each other,” said Maulvi Faqir, who is also chief of the Bajaur chapter of TTP.
He said that the United States wanted to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, but Pakistan wanted to trap the American troops in the Afghan quagmire.
Referring to drone strikes in the tribal regions, the TTP deputy chief said that although the US was continuously infringing on Pakistan’s sovereignty. However, if the US sent ground troops into Pakistan, the TTP would not blindly support the government. “The decision will be taken by the TTP shura,” he added.
Maulvi Faqir blamed Pakistan’s “double standards” for the fluid security situation in Afghanistan. “Peace cannot be restored in Pakistan and Afghanistan unless the two neighbours learn to coexist with peace,” he added.
He said that attacks against the United States will decrease if it pulls out troops from the Islamic countries and called off its covert war in Pakistan’s tribal regions.
Maulvi Faqir strongly rejected the allegations that the TTP was now getting support from Afghan authorities and the US troops stationed across the Durand Line.
This is the first time that the Taliban have hinted that they would not side with Pakistan against any US aggression. In earlier statements, the group called the fight against the US as ‘jihad’.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.
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