Mohsin Dawar, a former member of Pakistan’s National Assembly, says the deadly border clashes between Pakistani forces and the Taliban are the “consequences of embracing terrorism.”
In a post on X, Dawar said he had long warned against Pakistan’s support for militant groups, criticizing the state and mainstream political actors for celebrating the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021.
“We have been warning against creating and supporting Taliban. The Taliban in Afghanistan and TTP are one and the same. The Pakistani state and many in the mainstream celebrated Kabul’s takeover and illegal occupation by the Taliban. These are the consequences of embracing terrorism,” he wrote on X.
His comments come after one of the most intense episodes of cross-border fighting in years. On Saturday night, Taliban and Pakistani forces clashed along multiple sections of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 25 border posts were captured. The Taliban said nine of their fighters were killed.
Pakistan’s military disputed the Taliban’s account, saying its retaliatory strikes killed around 200 Taliban fighters and members of allied militant groups, including the TTP.
