Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir with Amir Khan Muttaqi is the current Foreign Minister

by Ehsanullah Ehsan

In the meeting between the Tajik and Pakistani intelligence agencies, an agreement has been signed under which both the countries will boost their support with their proxies, ISKP and National Resistance Front of Afghanistan who are currently busy fighting against the Afghan government.

After the current government of Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan refused to toe the lines of Pakistani generals, these army generals have now initiated a proxy war against Afghanistan.

However, unlike in the past, Pakistan has very few options that it can use to pressurise the Afghan government in order to reach its goals.

Long ago, Pakistan had militant groups, established in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and after the withdrawal of Soviet Union these groups came under the control of Pakistan, through which Pakistan created chaos in Afghanistan and enabled a paralysed and pro-Pakistan government in Kabul.

Looking at the current condition of Afghanistan, Pakistan has no option except to use Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) through which Pakistan wants to pressurise the Afghan government for achieving its goals. This is happening because every other militant group has been pushed and expelled from Afghanistan after Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan took over the country.

After deep meditation, Pakistani generals, in order to create insecurity and instability in Afghanistan, have practically begun working on a plan to use ISKP as its proxy in Afghanistan which I have proved in my previous articles how Pakistan is providing safe houses and support to ISKP’s militants.

However, the ploy to use ISKP as a proxy for Pakistan has been substantially countered by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), the intelligence agency of the Islamic Emirate, due to which the objectives of the Pakistan army remain unfulfilled. Hence, the confused Pakistani generals are now exploring other ways to make this project effective.

To put pressure on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and make ISKP more effective, the Pakistani government has struck up a friendship with Tajikistan, another Afghan neighbouring country, as the Pakistan army thinks that the expelled factions of Afghanistan are now being controlled by Tajikistan where they had sought asylum. The Pakistan army wants these factions and the ISKP to work together, as it will be useful for both the countries.

Organizing and putting together the proxies, a few meetings have been held between the Pakistani and Tajik intelligence agencies in recent days. Initial two meetings had been held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and the last meeting took place in Tajikistan when the delegation of Pakistani intelligence agencies visited Tajikistan where a bilateral agreement was signed.

Surprisingly, some key members of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and Ayoub Zareen, ISKP’s governor for Kunar province, also took part in the mentioned meetings.

Ayoub Zareen is originally from Asmaar district, Kunar and was selected governor for Kunar province by ISKP. After fleeing from Afghanistan, Ayoub Zareen is staying in Miskeeni Salarzo, a village in Bajaur agency Pakistan, under the protection and surveillance of Pakistani intelligence agencies.

In the meeting between the Tajik and Pakistani intelligence agencies, an agreement has been signed under which both the countries will boost their support with their proxies, ISKP and National Resistance Front of Afghanistan who are currently busy fighting against the Afghan government, and will cooperate with each other to increase insecurity in Afghanistan.

According to the agreement, in northern zone and some other provinces including Kabul, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan will find targets while ISKP will provide suicide attackers to encourage insecurity.

Following the agreement Pakistan will provide militaristic and financial support as well as protection to ISKP and Tajikistan will provide similar support to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

It’s worth mentioning that a section in the agreement allows ISKP to recruit new members in Tajikistan openly due to which ISKP is recruiting suicide bombers and using them in neighbouring countries. Involvement of the Tajik citizens in recent attacks in Iran confirms the section. The attacks in Afghanistan in the last few months are also part of the Pak-Tajik joint plan.

The agreement also calls for launching an effective campaign both on electronic and social media to defame Afghanistan and Islamic Emirate internationally as well as domestically.

These kinds of dangerous agreements are being signed by Afghan neighbouring countries to weaken Afghanistan, because they never want a stable and safe Afghanistan. They want Afghanistan to rely on them, but this time their dreams look impossible because the Islamic Emirate, one of the strongest governments of Afghanistan in its history, is governing Afghanistan with complete sympathy and support of the nation.

Ehsanullah Ehsan is a former spokesperson of Tehreek-e- Taliban