RASC News Agency: A prominent Pakistani politician has revealed that Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada was appointed as the Taliban leader within Pakistan, benefiting from the country’s support at the time. He alleged that Pakistan was instrumental in creating and fostering the Taliban, a group that has now become a major source of instability for the region. Aimal Wali Khan, the president of Pakistan’s Awami National Party, delivered a scathing critique of Islamabad’s policies regarding both the Afghanistani Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Speaking in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly on Wednesday, January 15, Khan accused certain Pakistani institutions of supporting the TTP and called for stringent measures to curtail their influence.
Khan argued that Pakistan’s unwavering backing of the Afghanistani Taliban and TTP has entrenched insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, turning it into a hub of terrorism. He further accused former Prime Minister Imran Khan of openly championing the cause of both groups, thereby exacerbating regional instability. He emphasized that prior to the fall of Afghanistan’s government in 2021, the Haqqani network a terrorist organization designated by the United States was operating out of Waziristan, Pakistan. Following the death of Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the Taliban’s former leader, in a U.S. drone strike in Balochistan in 2016, Mullah Hibatullah was appointed as his successor. Khan underscored that this decision was made with Pakistan’s active involvement.
Khan also disclosed that in 2013, provincial governments in Pakistan were established in line with the demands of the TTP. Additionally, he revealed that during Imran Khan’s premiership, he had proposed the implementation of the National Action Plan to address terrorism. However, his recommendations were ignored, further allowing extremism to proliferate. “Pakistan engineered the rise of the Afghanistani Taliban, but they have now turned against us, emerging as a significant threat to our national security,” Khan asserted. He highlighted how the group, once considered an asset, has transformed into an adversary, destabilizing Pakistan’s internal security landscape.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have intensified in recent months. Islamabad has accused the Afghanistani Taliban of providing safe havens and logistical support to the TTP, a charge that has strained relations between the two sides and compounded Pakistan’s domestic challenges.
