Taliban fighters have surrounded the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, taking over civilians' homes to fight security forces, officials said on Monday, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents.Pakistan's Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Monday that even if Afganistan descended into a civil war, the government would not let the fallout affect Pakistan.
In a message on Twitter, Chaudhry said the government's policy on Afghanistan was "in Pakistan's interest".
"[We] are monitoring the changing situation in Afghanistan. [We are] trying our best for a way forward in Afghanistan through a peaceful regime that is [formed] on the basis of suggestions from all [stakeholders]," he added.
The offensive was the latest on a provincial capital as the Taliban make a fresh push to surround cities and gain territory, emboldened by the departure of foreign forces.
"The situation in Ghazni city is very critical ... the Taliban use civilian houses as hideouts and fire upon the ANDSF (Afghan security forces), this makes the situation very difficult for the ANDSF to operate against the Taliban," said Hassan Rezayi, a member of Ghazni's provincial council.
Violence has surged in the country since US President Joe Biden announced in April that American troops would withdraw by Sept 11, ending 20 years in Afghanistan.The US general leading the war in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, is to relinquish command on Monday, in a symbolic end to America's longest conflict.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the government have nominally been continuing in Qatar's capital but officials say they are making little progress.
Clashes between the two sides are also continuing in the southern province of Kandahar where the Taliban traditionally have had a strong presence, locals said. Ghazni is on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar city.
"Since the past four days, armed Taliban are attacking ... Kandahar city from the western direction," said Hamidzai Lalay, a former member of parliament who is fighting with armed men against the Taliban in Kandahar. "Afghan security forces, including special forces, are fighting the Taliban and trying to push them back."
Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the situation in Kandahar was "completely under control of ANDSF" which had carried out air and ground operations in recent days.
So far, the Taliban have not been able to hold provincial capitals but they have put pressure on Afghan security forces to respond to offensives around the country.
On Sunday, security forces, with the help of air strikes, repelled an assault by Taliban fighters on Taluqan, the provincial centre of a key northern province bordering Tajikistan.
Last week, Taliban fighters entered the capital of the western province of Badghis, seizing police and security facilities and attempting to take over the governor's office before special forces pushed them back.
Chaudhry added that the political and parliamentary leadership in Pakistan had agreed on the "principle of non-interference [in case of Afghanistan]".
The information minister's remarks are the latest in a string of statements by Pakistani authorities regarding growing concerns over rising violence in Afghanistan and its expected fallout in Pakistan, with the US drawdown in the war-torn country now in its final stages.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf had warned while briefing the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that the situation was turning volatile in Afghanistan.
Yusuf had termed the situation in the neighbourng country "extremely bad and out of Pakistan's control". He had warned of an impending risk of an attack by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, who, he had said, could enter Pakistan disguised as refugees.
Qureshi had expressed worry that in case of a civil war in Afghanistan, Pakistan would not be able to handle the influx of refugees.
A day later, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar had clarified that Pakistan was a facilitator of the Afghan peace process and not a guarantor.
In an exclusive interview with ARY News on the situation in Afghanistan, the ISPR chief had said there were a lot of aspects to the peace process.
"What I can say right now is that the peace process is at a critical stage and everybody understands that," he had said, adding that Pakistan had tried to move the process forward with "sincerity".
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had called newly elected Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and expressed concern over the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, saying the latest developments could lead to serious repercussions for both Pakistan and Iran.
The prime minister had underscored the significance of a negotiated political solution to the conflict in the neighbouring country, and had said latest developments in Afghanistan could result in an influx of refugees towards the bordering areas of Pakistan and Iran.
