KANDAHAR, Dec 12: Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday accused Pakistan of being “the boss” of the Taliban and said resolving difficulties with Pakistan would put an end to terrorism in Afghanistan.
Afghan and Western officials have long accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop terrorists from training on its soil and then crossing the border to attack Afghanistan. Pakistan says it does all it can to fight the problem.
But Karzai took his accusations a step further on Tuesday, in his harshest criticism yet of Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour.
“The problem is not Taliban. We don’t see it that way. The problem is with Pakistan,” Karzai said in an interview with foreign journalists.
“So, talking to the Taliban? Yes, we are. We are talking to Pakistan.” Karzai has proposed holding a jirga between Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve the tensions and problems between the two countries.
Pakistan’s foreign minister visited Afghanistan last week in part to discuss the jirga, but no new details were announced.
“If we resolve the difficulties with Pakistan, the question of Taliban will go away automatically,” Karzai said.
When asked if Pakistan is essentially the boss of the Taliban, Karzai responded, “Absolutely. That has been the case from the very first day. That is how the Taliban came into being. It’s more than a boss.”
“The state of Pakistan was supporting the Taliban, so we presume if there is still any
Taliban, that they are being supported by a state element.”—AP
