Taliban leader warns Pashtuns against being used in India-Pakistan conflict
Written By Wion Web Desk
Published: May 08, 2025, 11:12 IST | Updated: May 08, 2025, 11:12 IST
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Discover how Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef warns Pashtuns against involvement in the India-Pakistan conflict, urging caution against manipulation. World
Senior Taliban leader and former Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, has warned Pashtuns from being drawn into the fight between India and Pakistan.
In a sharply worded post on the social media platform X, Zaeef warned that Pakistan might try to incite Pashtun communities in the name of Jihad. He refrained them from being dragged into the political war between India and Pakistan.
He urged families to keep their children away from “ Pakistan’s political games”.
These remarks come amid a serious escalation in India-Pakistan cross-border hostilities. India launched missile strikes on Tuesday night across Pakistani territories, killing 100 terrorists and injuring 26.
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The Taliban, predominantly Pashtun, have a complicated relationship with both India and Pakistan. Historically, they have been an ally of Pakistan.
Zaeef’s statement has sparked significant debate within regional political circles, highlighting growing concerns among Afghanistan’s Pashtun communities about Pakistan’s possible mobilisation of ethnic fighters in its dispute with India. This can be seen as a candid admission of the internal division and geopolitical manoeuvring in South Asia.
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The Taliban’s desire to avoid being used as a pawn in the India-Pakistan conflict can stem from the concern that they want to avoid further destabilising the region and maintain their legitimacy as a governing body of Afghanistan.
According to reports from India Today, due to the growing hostilities between India and Pakistan, containers of export items from Afghanistan are being stranded at the Wagha border.
“This will have long-term consequences for Afghan trade,” said Naqibullah Safi, head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce. “The Wagah crossing is critical to our exports to India. Several trucks of dried fruit are currently stuck, awaiting clearance.”