ISLAMABAD, April 12, 2023: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the militants of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban were still using the soil of Afghanistan to carry out terrorism activities against Pakistan despite Kabul’s promise to remove sanctuaries of the outlawed group.
The minister’s statement comes as the South Asian country witnessed an uptick in militant attacks, mostly claimed by the TTP, after the terrorist group unilaterally withdrew from the ceasefire truce.
In February, a high-level delegation led by Khawaja Asif and comprising ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan and Kabul mission head Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani visited the neighbouring country to demand action against the TTP.
During the meeting, the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan had assured the Pakistani delegation of an action against sanctuaries of the banned group. They had also agreed to effectively address the threat of terrorism posed by various entities and organisations.
In an interview with a foreign media outlet, Mr Asif said Islamabad had good relations with Kabul but “we are concerned about the TTP as it is still using Afghan soil against Pakistan”.
The defence minister said different channels were used to take up the matter with the Afghan government and they expressed willingness not to allow the use of their land against Pakistan.
He said that the previous government of the PTI had allowed the TTP terrorists to resettle in the country, saying Imran Khan was an ideological supporter of the Taliban.
He said the Afghan Taliban had distanced themselves from the TTP but there was still a camaraderie between them as the latter had been involved in the war against NATO with the Afghan Taliban.
“From this point of view, there was a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen from their words in the meetings with the Taliban ‘that they are not in a position to oppose them but they also want to help Pakistan’, he said.
Asif said TTP members were using advance weapons they got in possession after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, adding that they were also being backed by India.