Pakistan considers Afghan Taliban as a “relatively friendly” and “reliable anti-India element” in Afghanistan as it fears a strategic encirclement by New Delhi whose interest in the war-torn country stems largely from its broader regional rivalry with Islamabad, a US Congressional report has said.
In its latest report on Afghanistan, the independent and bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) identified Pakistan as the most important neighbour of Afghanistan.However, it said Pakistan wanted a weak government in Kabul and has played an active, and by many accounts, a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades.
“Pakistan’s security establishment, fearful of a strategic encirclement by India, apparently continues to view the Afghan Taliban as a relatively friendly and reliable anti-India element in Afghanistan,” the CRS said.