RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Friday said the Armed Forces of Pakistan had serious concerns on the safe havens and liberty of action available to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.
The army chief made these remarks during his visit to Quetta Garrison where he was briefed on the recent terrorist attack in Zhob, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a news release said.
The COAS paid tributes to the Shuhada (martyrs), visited the injured soldiers at CMH, Quetta, lauded their services to the nation and appreciated their resolve.
General Munir said, “It is expected that the interim Afghan Government will not allow the use of its soil to perpetrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in Doha Agreement.”
He further said that the involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan was another important concern that needed to be addressed.
“Such attacks are intolerable and will elicit an effective response from the Security Forces of Pakistan,” he added.
General Syed Asim Munir, COAS visited Quetta Garrison, #Balochistan, today where he was briefed on recent terrorist attack in Zhob. #COAS Paid rich tribute to the Shuhada, visited the injured soldiers at CMH, Quetta, lauded their services to the nation… pic.twitter.com/NZ7jlYjNq7
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) July 14, 2023
He resolved that operations against terrorists would continue unabated and the Armed Forces would not rest till the menace of terrorism was rooted out from the country.
General Munir revealed that Afghan nationals were involved in recent acts of terrorism in Pakistan.
“The involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern that needs to be addressed,” the army chief said.
“Such attacks are intolerable and would elicit effective response from the Security Forces of Pakistan,” he warned.
He further said operations against terrorists would continue unabated and the armed forces shall not rest till the menace of terrorism is rooted out from the country.
The army chief’s statement suggests frustration on part of Pakistan due to the lack of cooperation from the Afghan Taliban to tackle the TTP threat.
The Afghan Taliban spokesperson in a recent statement claimed the interim government was not allowing its soil to be used against any country and that TTP was a problem of Pakistan to deal with.
The TTP has become a thorny issue between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Despite efforts, the two sides could not find a common ground to deal with the issue.
At the heart of the problem is the Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to act against the TTP and their leadership. Pakistan believes that the TTP and their top leadership were operating in Afghanistan with impunity.
The Afghan Taliban after taking over in August 2021 tried to broker a deal between Pakistan and the TTP. Talks did make progress initially as the TTP announced a ceasefire in return for Pakistan freeing certain militants. Islamabad also allowed hundreds of TTP fighters to return as part of the confidence building measure.
However, the move quickly backfired as returning militants started targeting the security forces.
The TTP called off the ceasefire a day before the change of command at the GHQ in November last year.
After the change of army command, the civil and military leadership admitted that policy to seek peace talks with the TTP was thoughtless and had only given advantage to the terrorist group.
Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by Commander Quetta Corps. The army chief paid rich tribute to the Shuhada, visited the injured soldiers at CMH, Quetta, and lauded their services to the nation and appreciated their resolve.
