Pakistan’s stand that it was not engaged in any terror activities and was not providing a safe haven to terrorists took a beating on Monday when videos emerged showing a rally in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in support of Taliban that was attended by cadres of terror groups Lashkar and Jaish. The Taliban took control of almost the entire Afghanistan on August 15. 

A rally was organised in PoK by supporters of the insurgent group Taliban. Videos have emerged from the area which show cadres of Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) taking part in the rally and firing celebratory shots in the air, reports hindustantimes.com.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier welcomed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, saying that the country had broken the ‘shackles of slavery’.   

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The reports of the rally come days after India said at a UN meeting that Jaish and Lashkar were operating from Pakistan ‘with impunity and encouragement‘. “Whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement,” India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar said.

The reports of the pro-Taliban rally in PoK came on the day some journalists posted photos of Taliban leader Mullah Baradar and ISI chief Faiz Hameed offering namaz together. Opoyi could not independently verify the authenticity of the photos.

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In yet another embarrassment for Pakistan, a US Congressman on Monday said that Pakistan and its intelligence service had played an important role in not only encouraging the Taliban but also in helping it to take over Afghanistan. 

Congressman Steve Chabot, Co-Chair of the India Caucus, said in his address to the virtual gala of Hindu Political Action Committee on Sunday, “we all know that Pakistan and particularly its intelligence services played a key role fostering the Taliban and allowing them to eventually take over.”

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Chabot said that it was ‘disgusting’ to watch Pakistani officials celebrate the victory of the Taliban extremist group that will, according to him, unleash terror on the Afghan people.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, ending a 10-day march to power that saw the extremist group taking provinces with almost no resistance from government forces. Their entry into Kabul was followed by complete chaos with thousands of Afghans rushing to the airport to fly out of the country. Seven people were killed, two them falling off a plane they had clung on to to escape the Taliban.