Taliban spokesperson gets directions from Pakistan embassy: Former Afghan vice president

Passengers disembark as they arrive from Kandahar, at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday. Pic/AP, PTI

Former Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh has asserted that the Taliban are being micromanaged by Pakistan notorious intelligence agency - the ISI, adding that Islamabad is in-charge of the war-ravaged country effectively as a colonial power.

In a piece in Daily Mail, Saleh, who has declared himself as caretaker president of Afghanistan and is now leading the Resistance Front against Taliban in Panjshir Valley, writes the Taliban's spokesperson receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani embassy.

"It is the Pakistanis who are in-charge as effectively a colonial power. But this is not going to last. They may have territorial control, but as our history has shown, control of land does not necessarily mean control over the people or stability," Saleh, a vocal critic of Pakistan, said.

"For the Taliban have not won any hearts and minds. They have simply exploited the flawed policy of a fatigued American president - not necessarily the United States itself - and they are being micromanaged by Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI. The Taliban's spokesperson receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani embassy," he further writes.

Pakistan and its notorious intelligence agency have been accused of supporting the Taliban in taking over Afghanistan. Experts believe that Pakistan has been a key player in removing the elected Afghan government from power and establishing the Taliban as a decisive power in Afghanistan. Recently, a UN Monitoring report has said that a significant part of the leadership of Al-Qaida resides in Afghanistan and Pakistan border region.

Suicide bomber kills 4, injures 20 in Pak

A suicide bomber of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan blew himself up in the country's restive Balochistan province on Sunday, killing at least four security personnel and injuring 20 people, according to officials. The attack targeted a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpost on the Mastung road in Quetta, the provincial capital, Deputy Inspector General of Quetta police Azhar Akram said.

China tries to engage with Iran

China is seeking to strike a common position with Afghanistan's key neighbour Iran to firm up its growing role in the war-torn nation as it waits for the Taliban to form an "open and inclusive" government that makes a "clean break" from all terrorist groups.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliabilitsy and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever