The controversial comments of Pakistani cleric Tahir Ashrafi in support of suicide bombing indicate that the insurgency has religious backing, the National Coalition party said Thursday, warning that Afghanistan must adjust its policies accordingly.
Speaking at a gathering in Kabul, National Coalition member Mohammad Yunus Qanuni said the Pakistan-appointed cleric had proved that terrorism enjoys religious as well as political support.
"The words by the head of the Pakistan Ulema Council indicate that terrorism in Pakistan has political and religious support. We strongly condemn the statement," Qanuni said in a gathering in Kabul to observe International Women's Day on March 8.
The Coalition said the Afghan government must react, beginning with changes in policy such as that of releasing Taliban prisoners.
Last week, Ashrafi said in an interview with TOLOnews that Muslims were justified in "sacrificing their lives to Allah" as long as Afghanistan was "occupied" by US forces.
The statement was widely condemned, and Ashrafi later said he had been misunderstood.
The Pakistan Embassy in Afghanistan released a statement saying it was Ashrafi's personal opinion and not one condoned by the government. But the damage has been significant.
"It (Ashrafi's statement) has proven that terrorism enters Afghanistan from Pakistan," Qanuni said.
The release of Afghan Taliban prisoners from Pakistan's jails was a deal struck two months ago between the governments in an apparent hope that freedom would encourage the Talebs to negotiate for peace with the Afghan government.
Its impact appears to have fallen flat with most of the prisoners disappearing upon their release.
"Releasing these Taliban has no justification to us and will only be a cause of trouble," political analyst Mahmood Saiqal said Thursday.
National Coalition spokesman Sayed Aqa Fazel Sancharaki said Afghanistan needed a stronger, single policy towards Pakistan or it would continue to be pressured by outside forces.
"The lack of a focused policy by Afghanistan has allowed Pakistan to force its demands onto Afghanistan," he said.