India trying to sabotage Afghanistan peace process: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has asserted that India was interfering in Afghanistan’s internal matters in order to sabotage peace process and create chaos “that cannot be justified in anyway”.

“The federal cabinet stated that India should stay clear of interference in Afghanistan as India has no border with Afghanistan,” the information minister said while addressing a post-Cabinet press conference in Islamabad today (Tuesday).

Dring the former Afghan government’s tenure, Chaudhry said, India had used Afghanistan’s land against Pakistan and “at this time too we are seeing a continuous effort visible on Indian media that the Afghan peace process is sabotaged.”

The minister said the Federal Cabinet also urged the international community to take notice of India’s involvement in Afghanistan’s internal affairs to create chaos that cannot be justified in anyway.

He also provided updates about Pakistan’s facilitation of evacuations from Afghanistan, saying that up till now thousands of people from different nationalities had been evacuated.

“Over 3,400 people have been evacuated through airplanes, while around 19,000 have come through the borders so Pakistan is one of the primary stakeholders in this whole process and we are trying to create this environment so that the people stranded in Kabul can be evacuated,” he added.

Talking about the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the minister said the terrorist group was in a state of “disarray” after Indian funding for the militant outfit had stopped.

“We should be satisfied to know with regards to the TTP that for the first time the process of Indian funding to them has ended and at this time they are in disarray,” he added.

He also said that the announcement by the Taliban that Afghanistan would not be allowed to be used for terrorism against any country was a very “positive” one.

“We think the Taliban authorities will act on this. Pakistan’s top terrorists from the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) and TTP are sitting in Afghanistan and we want them,” he pointed out.

According to Fawad Chaudhry, the cabinet also held a discussion on the recent spate of violent incidents against women. “Prime Minister Imran Khan told Cabinet members that incidents like the one at Minar-i-Pakistan are very concerning,” he added.

Chaudhry said a high-level committee comprising religious scholars, intellectuals and civil society representatives would be formed to enlighten the government on the matter.