'Waging war in name of jihad': Ex-Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa confronted by an Afghan in France

Former Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was heckled by an Afghan civilian during a family trip in France. In a video, which has gone viral on social media, the Pashto-speaking man can be heard hurling abuses at Bajwa. He called the former army chief a 'murderer' and accused him of helping the Taliban loot Afghanistan.

Bajwa served as the chief of the army staff of Pakistan from November 2016 to November 2022. It was during his tenure as army chief, the Taliban returned to power after dislodging the civilian government of then-President Ashraf Ghani in August 2021. Within weeks of the Taliban coming back to power, Pakistan's then-ISI chief General Faiz Hameed landed in Kabul. 

The civilian accused Bajwa of human rights violations in Afghanistan. "For the past 40 years, Bajwa is waging war under the name of Jihad in Afghanistan," the person said. In the video, Bajwa can be seen with his wife sitting on the road. Bajwa also tried to stop the person from making a video and warned that he will call the police. However, the civilian was undeterred and said: "Bulao police (call police)."

Commenting on the Afghan person's heckling, Hibba Ali, a Pakistani, said that the video was a stark reminder that accountability knows no borders. "Watching the video of former #PakistanArmy Chief General (R) #QamarJavedBajwa facing public wrath in #France is a stark reminder that #accountability knows no borders. It's crucial for leaders to listen to the voices of their people," she wrote. 

There has been anger among a section of Afghans, who believe that the Pakistan army helped the Taliban take over the country. Just a day after the Taliban captured power, then Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan endorsed the new rulers saying that Afghanistan had broken the "shackles of slavery". 

In August 2021, The Washington Post reported that for the better part of half a century, Pakistan cultivated militant elements in Afghanistan as part of its own regional pursuit of "strategic depth". The report said that for its allies in the Pakistani establishment, the Taliban's appeal was both political and tactical. "Some sympathized with the Islamists' extreme ideology, while others deemed it an indispensable asset to counter India, the Financial Times had said in a report. 

"Taliban leaders have lived and done business in Pakistan, and wounded fighters have been treated in its hospitals. The Haqqani Network, an affiliate of the Taliban, has a ‘close relationship’ with the ISI, according to a recent report from the US Institute of Peace."