Pakistan has openly supported the Taliban in various international and regional forums following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have become visibly strained after Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) escalated attacks on Pakistani military positions. Recently, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan stated that the life of one Pakistani citizen is more valuable than all of Afghanistan. The highest decision-maker in Pakistan has expressed readiness to “curse” the entire Afghanistan for the security of Pakistani citizens, further warning the Taliban that if necessary, Pakistan would destroy the entirety of Afghanistan. However, the Taliban have remained silent in the face of these warnings.
Meanwhile, Pakistani police have intensified the process of detaining and forcibly deporting Afghan refugees following these statements. In the past two days, Pakistani military personnel have resumed house-to-house inspections, forcibly deporting dozens of individuals for lacking visas.
General Asim Munir, Chief of the Pakistani Army Staff, has recently stated that the life of one Pakistani is more valuable than all of Afghanistan. He has warned the Taliban that if necessary, Pakistan will destroy the entirety of Afghanistan.
Pakistani media reported two days ago that General Asim Munir addressed these remarks to students of public and private universities in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Pakistani media reports said he spoke about Islamabad’s policy towards its neighbors. He added, “When the security of each Pakistani is at stake, Afghanistan can be condemned and cursed as a whole.” Asim Munir further warned the Taliban, “Do not underestimate Pakistan. We are willing to sacrifice anything and everything for Pakistan.”
Asim Munir emphasized, “For 50 years, Pakistan has provided food for five million Afghan refugees, but when it comes to our children, we will pursue those who attack them.”
The Chief of the Pakistani Army Staff claimed that insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan, has long been supported by Afghanistan, and the Western neighbor has never shown friendship towards Pakistan. He added that Afghanistan was the only country to oppose Pakistan’s admission to the United Nations after independence and added that the problem is that “our people do not read history.”
The Pakistani Army commander has commented on Islamabad’s relations with New Delhi, stating, “India has not reconciled with the concept of Pakistan, so how can we reconcile with them?”
It’s worth noting that the sharp remarks of Pakistan’s military chief come amid tensions between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan. These tensions have escalated as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s attacks on Pakistani military positions have increased in recent months.
Meanwhile, Islamabad has recently rejected the Afghan Taliban’s proposal for negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban and intensified pressure on this group. Islamabad has previously used its economic leverage, in addition to political and security pressures, to push the Taliban regime to cut its support with the TTP.
However, Afrasiab Khattak, a Pakistani regional affairs expert and politician, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “The recent statements by General Asim Munir resemble those of a dictator, whose remarks—whether about domestic issues in Pakistan or Afghanistan—are highly inappropriate and provocative.” Khattak adds that the behavior of Pakistani generals towards the people of Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover resembles “a ruler over an open region and under their authority, which is reflected in their treatment of Afghan migrants and their unilateral decisions regarding trade, transit, and passage issues on the Durand line.”
Reactions from Afghan Politicians
Several former government officials have reacted to the sharp statements made by General Asim Munir, Chief of the Pakistani Army Staff. Some officials consider Munir’s statements reflective of Pakistan’s long-term policy towards Afghanistan.
Rahmatullah Nabil, former Head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, in part of his speech, apparently delivered in the former House of Representatives, stated that Mr. Munir’s remarks about Afghanistan are “not new and not just a speech,” but rather “indicative of Pakistan’s long-term policy towards Afghanistan.” Mr. Nabil added that Pakistan, as a “historical enemy,” has consistently sought to destabilize governments and society in Afghanistan.
Simultaneously, Masoom Stanekzai, former head of the Afghan government’s peace negotiating team, in response to the statements of the Pakistani Army Chief, wrote in a tweet that he had told Asim Munir in a meeting in London in 2018: “You must fundamentally change your attitude towards Afghanistan.” Mr. Stanekzai addressed the Chief of the Pakistani Army Staff, saying, “You are opposed to anyone in power in Afghanistan, but remember, if your policy continues in Afghanistan, the fire will eventually catch up with you too.”
Some political activists have expressed contrasting views regarding former officials. They have criticized the previous Afghan governments’ policies towards Pakistan, stating that Pakistan handles its Afghan policy with “precision”, and that we should not be misled into supporting the Taliban.
Dawood Naji, a political activist, responded to Asim Munir’s statements by writing: “Once upon a time, Hamed Karzai, as president, had said if the United States of America attacks Pakistan, we will stand by our ‘Muslim neighbor.’ Asim Munir says he won’t take all of Afghanistan for one of its citizens. The reason for “five-thousand-year-old” Afghanistan’s destruction is the foolishness of its Karzais and an atomic-equipped Pakistan, the precision of its Munirs.”
On the other hand, Samir Bedrood, another political activist, wrote that one should not inadvertently fall into supporting the Taliban. He added that the Taliban are not defendable against any country, including Pakistan. According to him, if there is a legitimate and people-based government in Afghanistan, does it consider the life of a citizen equivalent to the security of any other country, including Pakistan?
Mr. Bedrood emphasized that no legitimate government is willing, at least publicly, to say that the lives of its citizens are equal to the security of any other country, and Asim Munir’s statements are understandable in the context of any country’s national interests. He added: “Don’t get involved and don’t do anything that inadvertently puts you on the side of supporting the Taliban with Pakistan’s cloak-and-dagger tactics. The Taliban are indefensible, period.”
It is worth noting that following Asim Munir’s statements, the process of forcibly expelling Afghan migrants from Pakistan has intensified once again. Pakistan forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from the country last year, but in recent months, the intensity of deportations has decreased. Now, with Mr. Munir’s remarks, this process has escalated once again.
Simultaneously with the warning from the Chief of the Pakistani Army Staff, police in various areas of Islamabad, including Bhara Kahu, F17, B17, and some other areas of the city, have launched raids on Afghan refugee homes and detained and deported dozens of individuals whose residency visas had expired or were about to expire.
Yesterday, Pakistani police also initiated house-to-house inspection operations in Islamabad and warned those whose residency visas were nearing expiration that if they did not renew their visas, they would be deported.
Meanwhile, Afghan refugees in Pakistan have faced extortion, blackmail, and police brutality. These refugees say that despite registering for visa extensions, their documents are not reviewed for months, and these pressures force thousands to resort to the black market.
