Engagement with Taliban helped in evacuation of thousands
Staff Reporter Islamabad
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain on Wednesday rejected Indian media reports of Pakistan’s aid to Taliban forces during their recent offensive in the Panjshir valley.
On Monday, several independent journalists from various corners of the world ridiculed India for spreading lies through fake claims on social media about Pakistan’s involvement in the Panjshir offensive.
Talking to BBC World News, he said that Indian media used a video game to demonstrate that Pakistan was helping the attack on Panjshir and termed the reports a ‘pack of lies’.
“These are fairytales crafted by Indian media”, he said when asked about the protests in Kabul which denounced Pakistan.
“Actions attributed to Pakistan by Indian media are inspired by their film industry, and their talk shows create these stories. This is how marketing agencies work in India”, Fawad claimed.
Answering a question about the visit of the country’s spy chief to Kabul, the minister said that in the absence of a formal government in Kabul, intelligence networks want to create an informal framework to discuss impending issues.
The minister cited examples of the CIA chief and Turkish and Qatari intelligence officials also visiting Kabul.
“Our engagement with the Taliban enabled the US-Taliban negotiations and helped in the evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul”, Fawad said, adding that the international community had shown appreciation for Pakistan’s engagement with the Taliban.
According to him if Pakistan’s advice had been heeded, Afghanistan would be much more stable. He further said that Pakistan suffered the most due to the Afghan conflict. “We suffered 80,000 casualties and a loss of $150 billion”, he stated.
