Afghan President says Taliban would collapse without Pakistan support

Record ID: 75585

  • Title: Afghan President says Taliban would collapse without Pakistan support
  • Date: 4th December 2016
  • Summary: AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA (DECEMBER 04, 2016) (REUTERS) DIGNITARIES AT THE HEART OF ASIA CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF DELEGATES SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "Some still provide sanctuary in support or tolerate these networks. As (Mullah Rahmatullah) Kakazada, one of the key figures in the Taliban movement, recently said: 'if they did not have sanctuary in Pakistan they would not last a month." INDIAN DELEGATES AT THE CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "We propose an Asian and an international regime, whatever is acceptable particularly to our neighbouring Pakistan, to verify cross frontier activities in terrorist operations. (SOUNDBITE OVERLAID WITH VIEW OF DELEGATES) We do not want blame game. We want verification." DELEGATES LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "Pakistan has generously pledged $500 million for reconstruction of Afghanistan. This fund, (Sartaj) minister Aziz, could be very well used for containing extremism because without peace any amount of assistance will not meet the needs of our people." DELEGATES AT CONFERENCE INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, NARENDRA MODI DELEGATES AT CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, NARENDRA MODI, SAYING: "It must be backed by resolute action. Not just against forces of terrorism, but also against those who support, shelter, train and finance them." DELEGATES AT CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2016 13:09
  • Keywords: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Heart of Asia conference Taliban Amritsar Prime Minister Narendra Modi Pakistan
  • Location: AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA
  • City: AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015BGVLU7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday (December 04) that the Taliban insurgency would not survive a month if it lost its sanctuary in neighbouring Pakistan, urging its neighbor to take on militant groups on its soil instead of giving Kabul financial aid.
    Ghani's remarks, made at an international conference in the northern Indian city of Amritsar not far from the border with Pakistan, suggested tensions were rising with Pakistan after Ghani had previously attempted to improve relations with Islamabad when he took office in 2014.
    Pakistan said while violence had increased in Afghanistan, blaming another country for the problem would not help.
    The Taliban's ability to conduct coordinated high profile attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul has piled pressure on Ghani's Western-backed government to provide better security to a war weary people.
    Last year, Afghanistan suffered the highest number of civilian casualties and military related deaths in the world, according to Ghani who was speaking at the Heart of Asia conference aimed at getting regional players together to help stabilise his country.
    "Some still provide sanctuary in support or tolerate these networks. As (Mullah Rahmatullah) Kakazada, one of the key figures in the Taliban movement, recently said: 'if they did not have sanctuary in Pakistan they would not last a month," said Ghani.
    Analysts say Pakistan has historically backed the Afghan Taliban as a hedge against the influence of arch-rival India, with whom Pakistan has fought three wars, in its backyard.
    Pakistan denies this and instead said it is itself a victim of terrorism and that fighters of the Tehrik-i-Taliban, one of the main groups carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, were operating from Afghanistan.
    Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's top foreign policy adviser, said it was true that there had been an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan but said there was a need to have an objective and holistic view, rather than blame one country.
    The number of people displaced by conflict in Afghanistan this year has surpassed half a million people, the United Nations reported last month, the highest number since it began compiling such statistics in 2008.
    On top of the Taliban, Islamic State has claimed responsibility for attacks targeting minority Shi'ites in Afghanistan where sectarian violence has been rare.
    Ghani said there were 30 militant groups identified by the UN that were trying to establish a base in Afghanistan.
    "We propose an Asian and an international regime, whatever is accepted particularly to our neighbouring Pakistan, to verify cross frontier activities in terrorist operations. We don't want blame game. We want verification," Ghani said, calling it an undeclared war on Afghanistan.
    "Pakistan has generously pledged $500 million for reconstruction of Afghanistan. This fund, (Sartaj) minister Aziz, could be very well used for containing extremism because without peace, any amount of assistance will not meet the needs of our people." Pakistan had made the pledge earlier this year.
    Ghani's remarks, the strongest in recent months, come as India has simultaneously mounted pressure on Pakistan to end what it calls cross-border terrorism in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said regional players had to act against not only the militants but their sponsors.
    "It must be backed by resolute action. Not just against forces of terrorism, but also against those who support, shelter, train and finance them," Modi said.
    Islamabad has rejected the Indian allegations and said it was ready to hold talks with its neighbour on the dispute over Kashmir, but no talks are planned with Aziz while he is in Amritsar, Indian officials said.
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