BIG trouble for Pakistan as Afghan Taliban issues chilling warning to Pakistani leaders, says aggressive rhetoric would…

Pakistan-Afghanistan relations: In a major setback for deteriorating Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, the country’s ruling Taliban regime has castigated Islamabad and Pakistan’s military establishment for using belligerent language against Kabul and blaming the country for every mishap that occurs in Pakistan.

What did Taliban say?

In an interview, Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban regime, strongly condemned Pakistani’s civilian and military leadership for making inflammatory statements against Kabul, and stressed that Pakistan must stop blaming his country for any every terrorist attack.

Mujahid warned that war-like rhetoric from Pakistani leaders would further damage Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and make it difficult for Kabul to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group, which has carried out several attack on the Pakistan Army in recent months.

“The warlike language of Pakistani officials will harm relations between the two countries. Pakistani leaders should seek a solution through dialogue instead of spewing out aggressive rhetoric to stir tensions or calling for military action,” he said.

The Taliban spokesperson noted that terror attacks are not a new phenomenon in Pakistan, and Islamabad must take concrete steps to curb these incidents, instead of pointing fingers at Kabul. He also urged Pakistan to share information with Afghanistan to help counter terror threats.

“We are in favor of peace, but Pakistan does not seem interested,” he said.

Why Taliban warned Pakistani leadership?

Notably, the Afghan Taliban’s response comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently threatened to sever ties with Afghanistan if the Afghan Taliban continues its alleged support to the TTP. Sharif warned that the Taliban regime needs to make a choice between supporting the TTP or having cordial ties with Islamabad.

The Afghan Taliban has tensions with Islamabad due to the Afghan refugee crisis and the resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)– a terror group responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan claims that the Afghan Taliban, which assumed power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the US moved out, backs the TTP group, which often carries out terrorist attacks on the Pakistan Army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

Kabul has refuted these allegations.