ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday refuted the Afghan government’s denial of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP’s) presence in Afghanistan, saying that the terror outfit’s continued presence in the neighbouring country with impunity and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan pose persistent threat to the country’s security and stability. Responding to the remarks by the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri rejected the claims, saying the assertions of the Afghan side are contrary to facts on ground and various reports of the UN, which also corroborate the presence and activities of over 5,000-strong TTP in Afghanistan.
Over the last many years, he added that the TTP has launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts. He said the 12th Report of the UN Monitoring Team, issued in June 2021, acknowledges the TTP’s ‘distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives’ and notes its location within Afghanistan ‘near the border with Pakistan.’
“TTP following its orchestrated reunification with its splinter groups with the help of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs), its continued presence in Afghanistan with impunity and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan pose persistent threat to our security and stability,” Chaudhri said. He added: “Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, without any discrimination is unwavering and unambiguous.”
He stated that Pakistan has continued to emphasise the need for meaningful engagement with Afghan side for addressing security and terrorism issues through effective use of Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). He said Pakistan has been making serious and sincere efforts for facilitating intra-Afghan peace process for an inclusive political settlement. “We hope that Afghans would seize this opportunity for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” the spokesperson added. Earlier, on Sunday, a spokesperson of the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs claimed that the TTP was neither founded in Afghanistan nor operates on its soil.
“According to the national security policy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, this movement along with other terrorist groups is recognised as the enemy of peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region, and the Afghan government fights against this terrorist outfit like any other terrorist group without discrimination,” the Afghan spokesperson said, adding that the Afghan government has consistently stressed upon implementation of the UNSC resolutions and Doha agreement, which calls on Taliban to cut ties with regional and international terrorist groups including the TTP, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), The East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. “In order to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan and to ensure stability and prosperity in the region, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls on all countries, especially Pakistan, to treat all terrorist outfits equally and without discrimination, and not allow these closely linked and organised groups to collude with each other to jeopardise the security and stability of our countries,” the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson further maintained.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
Comments
Comments are closed.