Wary of Taliban ceasefire, Pak runs to Trump, makes bizarre India claim

Will Donald Trump get to solve a ninth conflict soon, the one between Pakistan and the Taliban, and add another "peace trophy" to his cabinet? As tensions simmer over a fragile ceasefire with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Pakistan has turned to the US President to help ease tensions.

The appeal by Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif came as Islamabad and the Taliban agreed a temporary ceasefire after week-long border clashes and Pakistani air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar left scores dead on both sides.

PAK'S APPEAL TO DONALD TRUMP

In an interview with GeoTV, Asif continued Pakistan's tradition of over-the-top flattery of Trump and welcomed him to mediate between the former allies.

"I think presidents in America have been responsible for wars. This is the first president (Trump) who has stopped wars. In the last 15-20 years, the US has sponsored wars, and he (Trump) is the first president to negotiate peace. If he wants to look into the Pakistan-Afghanistan war, he is most welcome," the Pakistani defence minister said.

In fact, Trump himself indicated last week that he might try to intervene in the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict to help bring peace.

"I hear there is a war now between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I'll have to wait till I get back — I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars," the US President said in Egypt during the Gaza peace summit.

A BROADER AGENDA?

However, behind Trump's keen interest may be a broader agenda. Last month, Trump said the US wanted to take back control of Afghanistan's Bagram air base near Kabul, which he said was an hour away from where "China makes its nuclear weapons". However, the Taliban has firmly rejected Trump's push to take back the air base.

Under Trump 2.0, ties between Pakistan and the US have seen a drastic change in the last few months. From signing cryptocurrency deals to crediting Trump for ending the conflict with India and proposing his name for the Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistan and its leaders have been in overdrive to curry favour with America.

PAK PANICS OVER FRAGILE CEASEFIRE

Behind the appeal to Trump lies Pakistan's doubts over the tenacity of the ceasefire with Taliban. In a bizarre remark, Asif claimed that the Taliban government was "fighting a proxy war" on behalf of India.

"I have my doubts if the ceasefire will hold, because the decisions of the (Afghan) Taliban are being sponsored by Delhi... Right now, Kabul is fighting a proxy war for Delhi," Khawaja Asif said.

"Muttaqi (Taliban foreign minister) is back after a week-long trip to India. It remains to be seen what plan he has brought along with him," the Pakistani minister further said.

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's maiden India visit to ramp up ties with New Delhi has only amplified tensions between the countries.

WHY PAK WANTS US HELP?

Last week, the forces of the countries engaged in intense border clashes after Pakistan targeted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps in Kabul. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which has killed hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021.

Taliban claimed it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, while Islamabad said it neutralised 200 "Taliban and affiliated terrorists".

Two days of fragile peace, following appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, was shattered on Tuesday night as Pakistan conducted air strikes in Kandahar province, killing dozens of Taliban fighters. The Taliban claimed it killed "a large number" of Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory fire, and seized Pakistani weapons and tanks.

The optics of Taliban fighters riding on a seized Pakistani T-55 tank and displaying trousers and weapons of Pakistani soldiers who reportedly fled from their outposts during the hostilities has no doubt left Pakistan red-faced.

Moreover, the ease with which the unorganised Taliban fighters captured Pakistani outposts and killed several of its soldiers point to surveillance and intelligence lapses by Islamabad.

It is against this backdrop that Pakistan has eventually appealed to Trump to help bring an end to its conflict with Afghanistan. Lest it be caught with its pants down again.

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