It is indeed a matter of great pride that the country has ultimately sent a strong message across and that that message was spelled out for all those who are inimical to Pakistan and its interests by none other than the head of state of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari over the martyrdom of seven Pakistan soldiers that took place in North Waziristan on Saturday.

That the President was clear and unambiguous is a fact that has found its best expression from the video clips and photographs showing him and the army chief, among others, with the coffin of one of the martyred officers on Sunday. What is also important to note is that the Foreign Office (FO) has confirmed that Pakistan carried out “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” inside the border regions of Afghanistan, hours after Kabul said airstrikes conducted on its soil had killed eight people.

The prime targets of the operation conducted in the morning earlier today were terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, adding that the outfit, along with the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in “deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials”. Needless to say, the Taliban 2.0 government has been demonstrating a lot of hostility towards Pakistan ever since the exit of the US-led West’s troops from Afghanistan in 2019.

Their approach to Pakistan clearly shows that they are pursuing the agenda of a particular country that has been seeking the annihilation of its neighbor since 2014. It is no secret that the Afghan Taliban have been constantly providing shelter and sustenance to TTP to the sheer chagrin of Pakistan. The Afghan government’s response to the air strikes carried out by Pakistan yesterday, therefore, does not hold water as it is not in accordance with the facts.

It is about time the rulers in Afghan revisited their policies toward Pakistan and stopped sheltering and lionizing TTP militants to start a fresh chapter of greater political, social and economic cooperation between the two Islamic neighbors. They need to wean themselves away from TTP leadership without any further loss of time. Last but not least, President Zardari deserves praise for creating waves in his first week in a new job; well, it’s not a new job though in view of the fact that he has successfully staged a comeback in a period of little over 10 years.

Salman Faridi

Karachi

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024