Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, Hussein Haqqani confirms that the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network have “sanctuaries” in Pakistan and operating from there against Afghanistan. 

In interview with Ariana News in Washington, ex- Pakistan envoy to the U.S. said that Afghans should be allowed to live in peace without any interference by any of their neighbors.

 “If the Taliban are Afghan phenomenon they should be talking to their own government instead of finding sanctuaries in Pakistan and attacking Afghanistan from those sanctuaries,” Hussein Haqqani said.

Haqqani stressed that Pakistan should not give support to terrorists groups like the Taliban and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan but instead should be helping the country to protect its own sovereignty so that the Afghans would help Pakistan to protect its sovereignty.

In response to a question whether Pakistan is supporting the Taliban and Haqqani Network, the Pakistani diplomat said: ” It is an unfortunate fact that many members of the so called Haqqani group have been found in Pakistan, Mullah Omar [The Taliban founder] died in Pakistan and the Afghan government and the coalition forces have often cited a lot of evidence  that the Taliban groups active inside Afghanistan have operated from Pakistan,” he said.

“If they are not operating from Pakistan then Pakistan should very clear and allow the Afghan government and its representatives to go into Pakistan and see that there is no support for Afghan Taliban in Pakistan, that is not being done,” he added.

Pakistan have been repeatedly accused by the Afghan government of backing the insurgents groups in its soil and using them as tool against Afghanistan.

However, this is the first time that a Pakistani diplomat delivering remarks on the Pakistan’s support to the Taliban and Haqqani Network and confirming their presence in the country.

Separately, U.S. Congress member, Darrell Edward Issa said that the United States is continuing to fight the war on terror and against those who want to continue extremism in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“The problems in both regions will continue, there has to be a fundamental shift but part of it has to be pushing external forces out,” Issa added. 

Reported by Nazira Azeem Kareemi, Edited by Shakib Mahmud