Former interior minister of Pakistan discusses the ups and downs of Afghansitan and Pakistan ties

Former interior minister of Pakistan: NDS of Afghanistan was on the payroll of India, Taliban should work for peace in the region and do not play in the hands of India.

Former interior minister of Pakistan, Rehman Malik, in an article to “The News International” has discussed the ups and downs of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s ties.

He says that at the second day of oath-taking ceremony of president Hamid Karzai in an old beautiful palace in Kabul where he and Asif Ali zardari were invited as guests. Karzai apparently looked very interested in improving relations with Pakistan. But later Afghanistan fell in the hands of India and “India became the darling of Afghanistan.”

Malik says that historically all the successive governments and intellegence forces of Afghanistan have drawn a consistent hostile mindset towards Pakistan.

He believes that India and NDS manipulated the first Taliban government, saying, “it is interesting to note that NDS manipulated the first Taliban government and now the present one has also drifted into its clutches as we see its hostile attitude towards Pakistan. The reasons are that NDS is on the payroll of India. The manipulation is done from New Delhi.”

He adds hostility against Pakistan is so old in Afghanistan, he says that KHAD (Khadamat -e- Aetla’st -e- Dawlati) under the directorship of Dr. Najibullah could create a warzone in Pakistan and WAD while Osman Sulatani and Muhammad Fahim were its directors and later NDS followed the same path.

Rehman Malik reiterates that when he was interior minister of Pakistan he tried to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan closer. He adds that former US ambassador to UN, Richard Holbrooke, facilitied the meeting between the Afghanistan former interior minister, Haneef Atmar and him. They reached an agreement to exchange information on terrorists, which was a great step to improve relations. But with the change of interior minister, it was torpedoed at the new minister Gen. Bismillah, who was strong opponent of international border (Durand). In addition Afghan government did not honor the agreement and Afghan fighter jets destroyed the check post of Pakistan in Chaman, just a day before he wanted to visit the area.

He expresses that the intent of the move was quite obvious that Afghanistan government did not want good relations with Pakistan. Following the move, the attacks of India had increased in Balochistan regions.

Former interior minister of Pakistan says that time he presented undeniable proofs of involvement of Afghan and RAW Intellegence with satellite images to Karzai in his office in Kabul, which made him speechless.

“However, I must respect President Hamid Karzai that he admitted the presence of training camps. He clearly said it was not in his hands, hence Pakistan should talk to US to finish these, whereas he could help Pakistan only if Islamabad hands over Mullah Baradar to them who was imprisoned in Pakistan,” he says.

According to him former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, also kept Afghanistan away from Pakistan, and he had serious arguments with Ghani in Istanbul about the alliance of RAW and NDS against Pakistan.

Rehman Malik believes that India has brainwashed the mindset of Afghans, and it is understandable that Afghan Taliban cemented their working relations much before the takeover of Kabul.

He calls on Taliban to work for peace in the region and do not play in the hands of India.