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
Peace can only prevail if Afghanistan renounces support for ‘terrorism’— Pakistan defense chief
- Pakistan’s chief of defense forces visits South Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan
- Pakistan says has killed 481 Afghan Taliban operatives since clashes began last Thursday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Wednesday that peace with Afghanistan can only prevail if Kabul renounces support for “terrorism” and “terrorist” organizations, the military’s media wing said as the two countries remain locked in conflict.
Fighting between the two neighbors, the worst in decades, broke out last Thursday night after Afghan forces attacked Pakistan’s military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said its attacks were in response to earlier airstrikes by Pakistan against alleged militant hideouts in its country.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militant outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil who have launched attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces in recent years. Kabul denies the allegations.
Munir visited Wana town in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district to review the security situation and troops’ operational preparedness at the Afghan border, the Pakistani military’s media wing said in a statement.
“The Field Marshal reiterated that peace could only prevail between both sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The military chief said the use of Afghan soil by militant outfits to launch attacks against Pakistan was unacceptable, vowing that “all necessary measures” would be taken to neutralize cross-border threats.
During the visit, Munir was briefed by military commanders about ongoing intelligence-based operations and measures being taken by the military to manage the border with Afghanistan.
He was also briefed about “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” or “Wrath for the Truth,” the name Pakistan has given to its military operation against Afghan forces, the ISPR said.
The Pakistani military chief spoke to troops deployed in the area, praising their vigilance, professional conduct and high morale, the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the military has killed 481 Taliban operatives, injured more than 690 and destroyed 226 Afghan checkposts since clashes began.
Arab News has been unable to verify claims by both sides about the damages they claim to have inflicted on each other.
Afghanistan has signaled it is open for dialogue but Pakistan rejected the offer, saying it would continue its military operations till its objectives were achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified with several countries, including global bodies such as the European Union and United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help reinstate a ceasefire, the Turkish Presidency said on Tuesday, as other countries that had offered to mediate have since been hit by the conflict in the Gulf.
