ISLAMABAD: Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has alleged that India is backing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to advance its anti-Pakistan ambitions.
In an interview with a private television channel, Khan said New Delhi’s use of terrorist proxies aims to destabilize Pakistan and undermine Islamabad’s relations with Kabul. He emphasized that eliminating terrorism and dismantling TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil remains Pakistan’s foremost security priority.
Discussing recent developments, Khan noted that the Taliban administration in Kabul has repeatedly assured Islamabad over the past two years that Afghan territory will not be allowed to harbor TTP or other militant groups. He added that while dialogue continues at the level of foreign ministers, interior ministers and special envoys, “it is now time to make practical progress on these commitments.”
He credited Beijing’s mediation with improving ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying China’s efforts have not only fostered reconciliation but also unlocked new avenues of regional cooperation — including a railway link between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the TAPI gas pipeline, and enhanced transit trade.
Commenting on regional diplomacy, Khan said a possible meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in September could carry “extraordinary significance” as the first high-level contact since the last conflict.
He also recalled that the United States had earlier floated Qatar and Nordic countries as potential venues for dialogue, though if talks are held in China, it would be “premature to predict any outcome.”
Khan further warned that modern weapons worth $7.5 billion, left behind after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, have fallen into the hands of terrorist groups and are being used against Pakistan.
