Los Angeles [US], February 27 (ANI): Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of the Afghan Parliament in exile, said Friday that Pakistan has profited from a “business of terrorism” by creating proxy groups, including the Taliban, which have now turned against Islamabad amid rising cross-border clashes.
In an interview with ANI, Solaimankhil condemned recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory as devastating for Afghan families and dismissed Islamabad’s claims that the strikes targeted high-profile militants, saying no evidence has been presented that any such leaders were killed.
Solaimankhil called Pakistan and its authorities “a cancer” in the region for their ties to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and for harboring Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. She said her paternal village, Barmal in Paktika, was struck and noted a pattern in which Pakistan repeatedly asserts it has killed terrorists but has not named any. She referenced Pakistan’s past hosting of the Quetta Shura and Miramshah Shura and alleged involvement by figures such as Khawaja Asif.
“They created this proxy and made a business out of terrorism,” she said, adding that the foundation of Pakistan as a state, in her view, is based on destabilising the region. “They’re to blame for all of this. It’s incredibly heartbreaking, but they’re the problem in the area.”
Solaimankhil also criticized the selective impact of the conflict, saying Pashtun and Baloch communities are bearing the brunt of the fighting while Punjabis in Pakistan remain largely unaffected. She questioned whether Pakistan’s security services are fully opposed to the Taliban, asserting deep-rooted ties and noting that no senior Taliban leader appears to have been eliminated.
“Where is the fighting happening? It’s happening in Pashtun areas. Pashtuns and Baloch are dying. Do you see one Punjabi dying? No,” she said, adding that she is not a proponent of war but sees the conflict as concentrated in Afghan regions.
She further alleged Pakistan benefits financially from the instability and could use the situation to seek international financial assistance, including IMF support. “The Taliban was created by Pakistan and who’s benefiting from this war financially? It’s Pakistan,” she said.
Her remarks come amid escalating tensions along the Durand Line after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. Both countries have reported casualties and accused each other of aggression. (ANI)
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