Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob has accused Pakistan of shifting blame onto Kabul to conceal its own failures in tackling the Baloch armed struggle, rejecting Islamabad’s claims that fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating from Afghan soil.
In an interview with the BBC, Mullah Yaqoob said Pakistan’s security institutions are “weak” and, rather than acknowledging their shortcomings, accuse Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups.
He was responding to Pakistan’s repeated allegations that the BLA and TTP use Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Mullah Yaqoob argued that these groups conduct operations deep inside Pakistan, including in major cities far from the border. “If militants are entering from Afghanistan and travelling hundreds of kilometres inside Pakistan, then why are they not being stopped there?” he asked.
He said the attacks expose Pakistan’s own security failures and show that responsibility lies within Pakistan itself. “This demonstrates the weakness of Pakistan’s security institutions, which is then concealed by placing blame on Afghanistan,” he said.
The Afghan Defence Minister added that, instead of trading accusations and running propaganda campaigns, it would be better for Pakistan to “acknowledge reality, increase cooperation, and develop a constructive plan to resolve these issues.”