With Pakistan launching an “unprovoked airstrike” against Afghanistan, killing innocent civilians under the guise of taking out the terrorist group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), it seems that Pakistan is inspired by its new friend Russia in exploiting the weakness of its neighbouring countries, said a media report.
Getting inspiration from new friend Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Army is exploiting the Taliban regime’s military weakness and over-dependence on Pakistan to launch airstrikes against civilian targets with impunity, writes Kaliph Anaz.
Drawing similarities between Ukraine and Afghanistan, Anaz opines that like Ukraine, the Taliban neither has the military power nor resources to counter the Pakistan Army and despite deep suspicion about the Taliban regime, the international community cannot allow Pakistan to target the civilian population in Afghanistan.
Notably, more people have been killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan than in Ukraine by Russians in a day as local news and social media claim the figure of civilians killed in the air attacks to be more than a hundred while the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations has confirmed over 40 casualties.
The airstrikes, which are being considered Pakistan’s retaliation to TTP, which has attacked Pakistan army installations and personnel in recent months, have raised an uproar in Afghanistan where anger is rising in the streets of various provinces, reported Asian Lite.
A big public rally was held on Saturday evening by the residents of Khost where they chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and the angry residents also gathered on Sunday to protest attacks by the Pakistani military in Khost and Kunar provinces. Journalists and analysts in Afghanistan have accused Pakistan of direct interference and violation of Afghan sovereignty.
While Pakistan seems to be justifying the unprovoked attacks as a non-military counterattack against terrorist groups, the increasing death toll of innocent children and women in the attacks tells that the real objective seems to be compelling the Taliban regime to accept Pakistan’s supremacy.
This can be inferred as though Pakistan has been a key instrument in helping the Taliban to capture Kabul, the new regime has since refused to play Pakistani tunes which can be demonstrated by its inaction against TTP. The attack could also be part of Pakistan army chief General Qamar Bajwa’s desperate need to assert the army’s authority post the Imran Khan episode, reported the media oultet.
While the attack may be justified by the Pakistani army trying to reaffirm its power and spite Imran Khan, who had been sympathetic towards the Taliban regime, the killing of innocent women and children is a clear violation of international conventions and the sovereignty of a neighbouring country.
Thus, the attacks, targetting innocent civilians, can be seen as Pakistan’s exploitation of the Taliban regime’s military weakness. A long drawn-out conflict in a poverty-stricken country would only bring misery to the helpless people whose dire situation find little space in the global media, according to the media outlet.