Mujahid: Pakistani military is preventing improvement in relations.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government, told Pakistan’s Khyber TV that there are two different views on relations with Afghanistan in Pakistan.
He said the civilian government wanted to improve relations, but the Pakistani military was preventing the process from achieving results.
Mujahid pointed to the harsh remarks of Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif during the Doha and Istanbul talks, stressing that such positions create a negative atmosphere for the talks.
He also recalled that last year, during the visit of the Pakistani special envoy to Kabul, Pakistani troops targeted Paktika province in an airstrike, which he said was a sign of differences in Pakistan’s power structure.
The comments come as Pakistan’s defense minister recently threatened that Islamabad was ready to confront Afghanistan if the Taliban did not cooperate to curb cross-border attacks.
After the recent border clashes, talks were held mediated by Qatar and Turkey and the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement.
Pakistan claims TTP militants use Afghan territory; The Taliban have denied the claim, saying the TTP is an internal matter of Pakistan.
