Religious Scholars, Politicians Challenge Pakistan’s Claims on Afghanistan

Following a deadly ISIS attack on a mosque in Pakistan and claims by Pakistani officials linking the incident to Afghanistan, a number of politicians, religious scholars, and former military officers inside Pakistan have reacted in various ways.

Sayed Iqbal Rizvi, a religious scholar, angrily accused Pakistani authorities of nurturing extremist groups.

“You are raising takfiri groups like ISIS-K. You support terrorists. You are responsible for ethnic cleansing against us, and now you expect us to remain silent?” Rizvi said.

Meanwhile, former Pakistani military officer Adil Raja, in a video message, said the Friday attack was carried out by Pakistan itself, accusing Islamabad of blaming Afghanistan and India for the incident.

“In the coming days, Asim Munir will once again open a path under a pretext against Afghanistan and India, and through his militias will carry out terrorism in India, Afghanistan, and even against his own people, then place the blame on Afghanistan and India,” Raja said.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai, leader of an opposition party in Pakistan, also criticized Islamabad’s past policies, saying the country is now facing the consequences of actions taken during the Afghan war.

“These incidents are emotional and affect us deeply,” Achakzai said. “I support what my colleagues have said, and I want to add that today we are reaping what we ourselves sowed. Years ago, we dragged Pakistan into other people’s wars. When Russian forces entered Afghanistan, we gathered people from across the world here, from Arabs and non-Arabs, from every country. There was no sect or country whose people did not come.”

Meanwhile, former US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said in an interview with an Indian media outlet that as a result of fighting by the Islamic Emirate, ISIS members were expelled from Afghanistan and are now based in Pakistan.

The Islamic Emirate, in response to Pakistan’s claims, said on Sunday that linking the attack to Afghanistan lacks any logical basis and cannot conceal Pakistan’s security failures.