Abdul Latif Mansour, the Taliban’s Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, says that Afghans have never accepted the domination or subjugation of any country throughout history and will not accept Pakistani rule either.
Mansour made the remarks at a ceremony marking the inauguration of a small water-storage dam in Paktia province. He said that a nation that had refused to accept the “subjugation” of the Soviet Union and the United States would never, under any circumstances, accept being subjected to Pakistan.
He added that some neighboring countries maintain good relations with Afghanistan, while, according to him, others do not want to see security and development in the country and have carried out military operations and attacks against Afghanistan.
Mansour stressed that Afghans are grateful for the support and assistance provided by Islamic countries that stood by them during the years of war. However, he said, this does not mean that Pakistan can “enslave” the Afghan people.
He further stated that Afghanistan seeks to engage with Pakistan within the framework of Islamic principles, but warned that if what he described as Pakistani “aggression” continues, Islamabad would face a “crushing response,” similar to the response Afghanistan gave to Russia and the United States.
The Taliban minister’s remarks come amid increasingly strained relations between the Taliban and Pakistan in recent months. The Taliban accuse Pakistan of providing safe havens to their armed opponents, while Pakistan, in turn, accuses the Taliban of supporting the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Writer:Salima Aryaei
