Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, told the Taliban not to repeat the mistakes of the past, without referring to them. He posted the famous proverb on his X-rated account on Sunday: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.“
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appointed Muhammad Sadiq as Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan on December 5. Muhammad Sadiq previously served as Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan from 2020 to 2022.
His appointment is seen as a sign of Pakistan’s renewed efforts to resolve its differences with the Taliban through diplomatic means. The country’s economic and diplomatic pressure has failed to force the Taliban to comply with Pakistan’s demands and stop supporting Pakistani militants.
Previously, Pakistan supported opponents of previous Afghan governments due to border disputes and Kabul’s proximity to India. This support was one of the reasons for the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government.
Following increasing political and verbal tension between the Taliban and Islamabad over the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan members in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban officially accused Pakistan of supporting ISIS.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks in Afghanistan, including one that killed Khalilur Rehman Haqqani, a former minister of refugees and a powerful Taliban figure.
The Taliban’s stance shows that the group is concerned about Islamabad’s support for armed groups opposed to the group, such as ISIS; just as previous Afghan governments had the same concerns about Islamabad’s intervention.