Islamabad, Pakistan – On October 28, following stalled negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan to extend their fragile ceasefire after deadly border clashes, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif directed blame toward a third country not even present in the talks: India.
In a television interview, Asif claimed that India had “penetrated” the Afghan Taliban leadership, asserting that this was the reason tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated.
Pakistan’s Accusations Against India
“But the people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi. India wants to engage in a low-intensity war with Pakistan. To achieve this, they are using Kabul.”
While the defence minister did not provide evidence to support his claim that India was backing the Taliban to challenge Pakistan, his statements signal a broader effort by Islamabad to frame its tensions with Afghanistan as a consequence of the Taliban’s growing relationship with India.
Context: Border Clashes and Taliban Relations
Earlier in October, Pakistani and Afghan troops clashed along their shared border. During this period, Asif asserted that the Taliban was “sitting in India’s lap.” Islamabad has accused the Taliban of permitting anti-Pakistan armed groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil, suggesting—again without public evidence—that India is supporting the TTP.
This rhetoric comes as Pakistan attempts to project that India is actively seeking to destabilize its western border by influencing the Taliban.
Taliban’s Response
The Taliban leadership has rejected Pakistan’s accusations, asserting that India has no role in the ongoing crisis between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Additionally, the Taliban denied responsibility for the TTP’s repeated attacks on Pakistani soil.
Despite Pakistan’s claims, analysts note that there is no publicly verified evidence linking India to Taliban operations or TTP attacks, highlighting that these statements may serve broader political and strategic messaging purposes.
Implications of Pakistan’s Narrative
Pakistan’s framing of India as a key actor in its disputes with Afghanistan and the Taliban serves multiple purposes:
- Deflecting Blame: By pointing to India, Pakistan shifts attention from its own border management challenges and the Taliban’s actions.
- Regional Diplomacy: The narrative may influence international perceptions, casting Pakistan as a victim of external interference.
- Internal Messaging: The rhetoric reinforces domestic political narratives about India as a strategic adversary.
Conclusion
The dispute along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and Pakistan’s claims about India’s involvement with the Taliban reflect the complex geopolitical dynamics in South Asia. While Pakistani officials highlight India’s purported influence over the Taliban, the lack of concrete evidence suggests that these accusations may be as much about shaping perception as they are about actual security threats.
As relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India continue to evolve, the role of the Taliban remains central, but whether India is actively influencing events in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations remains unverified.
