New Delhi, Feb 23 Islamabad’s airstrikes inside Afghanistan followed less than four days after media reports widely quoted Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stating in an interview that his country would not hesitate to carry out air operations inside the neighbouring country.
The development goes beyond mere coincidence, with the statement coming from none other than a Defence Minister. However, it needs to be mentioned that in such matters -- and more -- it is the military headquarters in Rawalpindi that holds sway over the civilian government in Islamabad.
Asif claimed in the interview with France 24 that the attacks being carried out within Pakistan are the result of a proxy war supported by Delhi and Kabul, adding that banned terrorist groups are operating from Afghan territory, according to Pakistan’s Dunya News last week.
Such allegations are nothing new; in an interview last year, he had reportedly claimed that India had “penetrated” the Afghan Taliban leadership. That, he insisted, was the reason for the escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, said reports.
Recounting that statement, an Al Jazeera article mentioned last year, “On October 28, after negotiators from Pakistan and Afghanistan hit a wall in talks to extend their fragile ceasefire after deadly border clashes, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif blamed a third country that wasn’t even present during the dialogue: India.”
It underscored the fact that Pakistan’s Defence Minister “presented no evidence to back his claim that India was propping up the Taliban to challenge Pakistan. But his comments represent a growing attempt by Pakistan to portray its tensions with Afghanistan as the outcome of a growing friendship between the Taliban and India,” added the article.
Islamabad has repeatedly bombed Afghan territories, claiming to aim at terror groups allegedly behind attacks in Pakistan. The result has been the Taliban retaliation, leading to intense firefights at the borders, and the subsequent closure for about four months.
While Pakistan has increasingly been hostile towards its once-friendly neighbour, India has progressed with cautious and pragmatic diplomatic outreach towards Kabul. This shift has unnerved Islamabad, especially with its border provinces witnessing civil and political unrest.
Meanwhile, a strong public opinion is building up in Afghanistan against Islamabad’s hegemonic tendencies. “Several experts say that the Pakistani military’s attacks on Afghanistan and the targeting of civilians constitute a war crime,” according to Kabul’s Tolo News on Monday.
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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday termed the latest attacks as a continuation of what it described as “previous acts of aggression”, added the Pajhwok news site. “Pakistan’s military regime had once again conducted airstrikes in several civilian areas of Nangarhar and Paktika provinces -- including a religious school and several residential houses -- resulting in dozens of innocent civilians, among them women and children, being killed and injured,” it said, quoting an official statement in which the ministry called the attacks a clear violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a crime.
Rawalpindi’s assertive role in Pakistan’s affairs was further strengthened last year with the National Assembly passing the 27th Amendment, granting sweeping powers to the Army Chief. General Asim Munir was elevated as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), giving him control over the army, navy and air force. Munir now holds the rank of Field Marshal for life, along with legal immunity for any act carried out in uniform by him and the other five-star generals.
The amendment to Article 243 of Pakistan’s Constitution made significant changes to the command structure of the armed forces. Among key changes are the replacement of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee with the new CDF, consolidating the army chief’s powers and altering the fiscal and administrative autonomy of the provinces.
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