Pakistan opposes normal Afghanistan–India relations: Shaheen

Suhail Shaheen, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Qatar, has accused Pakistan of attempting to block Kabul’s normal relations with other countries, including India, and warned of consequences following recent airstrikes.

In an interview with India Today, Shaheen said that Islamabad may have other plans regarding Afghanistan and is using large-scale attacks on civilians as a means of pressure to force Kabul into accepting its demands.

In a separate interview with NDTV, Shaheen strongly condemned what he described as a deadly Pakistani airstrike on a hospital in Kabul, calling it a “crime against humanity.”

More than 400 people were killed and 265 others were injured in Monday’s strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul.

He further said that Pakistan is carrying out such strikes under what he described as “baseless claims” of targeting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad accuses of conducting attacks inside Pakistan.

Shaheen also rejected reports of any ongoing back-channel negotiations between Kabul and Islamabad.

“Right now, there are no back-channel talks. They have chosen the military approach, while we always wanted a peaceful solution to issues,” he said. “They chose to attack Afghanistan first. So, I think it will be responded to in their language.”