ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday called on the Taliban authorities in Kabul to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan, warning such militant violence threatened regional stability and would not be tolerated.
Speaking to reporters in London after concluding a two-day official visit to Belarus, Sharif reiterated Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to uphold its commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement, which called for preventing armed groups from operating on Afghan territory.
“We have always said Afghanistan is a neighboring and brotherly country,” his office quoted him as saying in a statement after the media interaction. “As neighbors, we have to live together — the choice is whether to do so peacefully or through conflict.”
Sharif said Pakistan had sent several messages to Kabul, emphasizing that Afghan soil must not be used for militancy under any circumstances.
“But unfortunately, the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan], ISKP [Islamic State Khorasan Province] and other terrorist outfits continue to operate from there and have martyred innocent Pakistani civilians,” he added.
The prime minister vowed the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s civilians and armed forces would not go in vain, adding that the Afghan authorities should take immediate action against militant groups.
“My sincere advice to Afghanistan is to rein in these terrorist organizations at once and not allow them to use Afghan land under any circumstances,” he said.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have risen in recent years following a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad blames the TTP, a banned outfit ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban, for orchestrating cross-border violence from safe havens inside Afghanistan — a charge the Taliban administration has repeatedly denied.
Amid the bitterness between the two countries, Pakistan has deported hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan nationals since late 2023, citing security concerns while prompting criticism from rights groups and calls for dialogue from Kabul.
Pakistan PM calls on Kabul to ‘rein in’ militant groups launching cross-border attacks
https://arab.news/gaz5t
Pakistan PM calls on Kabul to ‘rein in’ militant groups launching cross-border attacks
- Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul has grown amid militant attacks in Pakistan’s border provinces
- PM Sharif says both countries must decide whether they want to live peacefully or through conflict
Four policemen, seven militants killed in separate clashes in northwest Pakistan
- Pre-dawn assault on Bannu police post repelled, three militants killed
- Four officers killed in ambush during operation in Dera Ismail Khan
PESHAWAR: Seven militants and four policemen, including a senior officer, were killed in two separate security engagements in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officials said on Wednesday.
The incidents occurred in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts bordering Afghanistan, areas that have seen a resurgence of militant attacks in recent years, particularly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which frequently targets police posts and security forces.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups, including the TTP to operate from Afghan territory and stage cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies. The dispute has strained ties between the two neighbors and fueled security tensions along the frontier.
In the first incident, three militants were killed after police repelled an overnight assault on the Khunia Khel police post in Bannu district, which borders Afghanistan.
Aamir Khan, spokesperson for the Regional Police Officer in Bannu, said heavily armed militants launched a pre-dawn attack in what appeared to be an attempt to overrun the facility. Police personnel stationed at the post returned fire.
“The officers displayed exceptional valor and professionalism, putting up fierce resistance against the terrorists and compelling them to withdraw,” Khan told Arab News by phone.
He said three militants were killed and nine others wounded in the clash, while one police officer sustained minor injuries. One of the slain attackers was identified as commander Umar Azam, also known as Khazmati, while another was named as Shahidullah. The identity of the third militant was being confirmed, he added.
Hours later, militants launched what police described as coordinated retaliatory attacks on the Ahmadzai Police Station and the Fateh Khel police post. Security personnel repelled both assaults without further casualties, according to Khan.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN
In a separate operation in the Panyala area of Dera Ismail Khan district, four militants and four police officers were killed during a security operation and subsequent ambush, district police spokesperson Yaqoob Khan said.
The operation was launched after intelligence reports about militant presence in the area. It was led by senior officers, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) for the Counter-Terrorism Department, the SP of Paharpur, Deputy Superintendents of Police from Paharpur and Panyala, and several Station House Officers.
Police surrounded suspected militants during the operation. As officers were returning, they were ambushed from nearby forested terrain, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
“Four police officers were martyred and four terrorists were killed in the ensuing firefight,” Khan said.
Among those killed was Station House Officer Faheem Mumtaz Khan. SP Paharpur Iqbal Baloch, DSP Paharpur Muhammad Adnan and two other officers were injured and shifted to hospital for treatment.
Authorities cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in nearby forests.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attack in Dera Ismail Khan and expressed “deep sorrow and grief” over the deaths of the police personnel.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot undermine the morale of the police, nor will attempts to sabotage peace in the province succeed,” he added, calling for a coordinated national strategy to eliminate militancy.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks.
