Musharraf warns of proxy war with India
Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf warned that a proxy war between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan would erupt in Afghanistan if US forces exit the country.
Musharraf, who came to power in a 1999 coup before stepping down amid protests against his rule in 2008, said Pakistan wants a peaceful solution to the 17-year-old conflict next door. But the former four-star general also blamed India for using Afghanistan as a base to foment separatist insurgencies and attacks in Pakistan. In interviews after leaving office, he has hinted that Islamabad used proxy forces in Afghanistan to counter its larger neighbour India.
“You can expect a proxy war in Afghanistan if the US leaves Afghanistan, definitely, 100 per cent,” Musharraf said in an interview at his penthouse apartment in Dubai, where he now lives in self-exile.
War-ravaged Afghanistan has long been a battleground for the broader geopolitical rivalry between India and Pakistan. Musharraf’s comments underscore the fear of Indian encirclement that motivates Pakistan and its powerful military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 71-year existence. US President Donald Trump has stoked those concerns by pushing for New Delhi to take on a larger role in Afghanistan as Washington looks to exit America’s longest war.
Focus on development
Musharraf said “India should remain out” of Afghanistan, which Pakistan sees as its area of influence. He also warned that even if US forces depart after a negotiated settlement with the Taliban, India and Pakistan would likely move in by supporting rival factions in Afghanistan.
“The situation will return to Taliban versus Northern Alliance, and in that Pakistan and India will fight a proxy war,” he said, alluding to a military coalition that fought against the Taliban in the 1990s and early 2000s.
India’s foreign ministry declined to comment. Indian officials, who frequently blame Pakistan for crossborder attacks in both Afghanistan and India, have long said their presence in Afghanistan is focused on development and infrastructure.