Taliban back in Afghanistan with Pak help, says envoy

THE TALIBAN could not have returned to Afghanistan “without help from within Pakistan”, the Afghan envoy here said and urged Islamabad to join hands with India to bring peace to his war-torn country.

Omar Zakhilwal said that peace would prevail in Afghanistan if Pakistan and India joined hands, and lauded both the countries for their efforts in trying to keep the peace in 2002, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Afghanistan’s envoy to Pakistan raised questions on the efforts for peace in the region, saying although there were a number of processes in place for keeping peace, “there is a question mark on how effective these measures are.”

He held Pakistan responsible for the Taliban’s return, saying, “The Taliban could not have returned to Afghanistan without help from within Pakistan.”

He said this in his address at a conference in Afghanistan Wednesday, days after a crossborder attack near the Chaman border point. Ten Pakistani civilians were killed and more than 40 people were injured in a firing by Afghan forces on Pakistani census workers and troops in Balochistan on May 5.