Following rising tensions between the Taliban administration and Pakistan, a rift among anti-Taliban groups over how to engage with Islamabad has become more apparent. One faction considers cooperation with Pakistan essential to change the current situation, while another group sees it as a threat to Afghanistan's future stability.
The division became prominent after some anti-Taliban figures welcomed Islamabad's shifting policy towards the group, stating they do not have an "eternal and perpetual enmity" with Pakistan. However, another spectrum of opponents remains skeptical of Pakistan's approach, believing Islamabad's main objective is still to keep Afghanistan unstable and pave the way for another civil war.
Mujib-ul-Rahman Rahimi, a former spokesperson for the Chief Executive of the previous government, told Afghanistan International that all anti-Taliban forces are in contact with Pakistan. According to him, Islamabad has decided to change the situation and has provided a platform for opposition groups to operate. "We don't have an eternal and perpetual enmity with Pakistan. The Pakistanis have acknowledged their past mistakes, are now on the right path, and we support their current policies," he stated.
Mr. Rahimi added that with the opening of opposition offices on Pakistani soil, the Taliban will face a serious challenge when movements begin in Pashtun-majority areas and new fronts open up.
Conversely, Fazl Mahmood Fazli, former head of the Administrative Office of the President and an aide to Ashraf Ghani, called these statements "dangerous and incorrect." He wrote on the social media platform X that supporting Islamabad's current approach aligns with Pakistan's "colonial objectives" and aims to keep Afghanistan unstable, whether through the Taliban or their "strategic partners."
This political dispute is escalating as relations between Kabul and Islamabad have hit a new low. On Tuesday, September 28, the Taliban summoned Pakistan's chargé d'affaires to protest the alleged support and arming of opponents in Nuristan province, an accusation Islamabad has strongly denied.
Source: Afghanistan International
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