- Says false narrative of a gap between people and the army is mainly driven by a specific agenda from abroad
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir emphasized that Pakistan’s desire for positive relations with Afghanistan, but the bone of contention between the two countries is the presence of the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan outfit there and the cross-border attacks, said the military’s media wing on Tuesday.
COAS General Asim Munir made the remarks during his Peshawar meeting with politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Addressing the issue in his talks with politicians, the army chief said Afghanistan was a “brotherly neighbour and an Islamic country” with which Pakistan “has always wanted” better relations.
“The only difference with Afghanistan is the presence of Fitna al-Khawarij in Afghanistan and the spread of terrorism in Pakistan from across the border, and it will remain so until they remove this issue,” the statement said quoting the army chief as saying.
“Our policy is only Pakistan,” the army chief emphasized, stating that the state’s existence is paramount and “If there is a state, there can be politics.”
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained due to frequent border skirmishes and Islamabad repeatedly demanding Kabul take action against the TTP for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations.
Last month, at least eight people were killed and 13, including civilians, were injured on the Afghan side during clashes. The two sides were exchanging fire since Pakistani fighter jets bombed alleged TTP camps in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province.
COAS Munir said that no large-scale operation was being carried out in KP and nor was the TTP active in any area of Pakistan, adding that only targeted operations were carried out based on intelligence.
The military chief said that everyone would have to stand together against terrorism without discrimination and prejudice as politics could only be conducted if there was a state. “If there is no state, then there is nothing,” he added.
Gen Munir said the situation would improve if everyone worked together and cooperated.
“There is a special relationship between the people and the army. In this relationship, the false narrative of a gap is mainly driven by a specific agenda from abroad,” the COAS was quoted as saying.
He further said that the agreement of all parties on the National Action Plan (NAP) was encouraging but it had to be worked on quickly. The NAP is a 20-point plan created by the government in 2014 to combat terrorism and extremism. The plan was developed in collaboration with stakeholders and federal ministries
The country’s political leadership had asked the military brass to engage with Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s internal security problems, he said.
In the almost four-hour-long meeting with COAS Munir, representatives of several political parties expressed their concerns over the prevailing law and order situation in the province.
According to people privy to the meeting, the political leadership wanted full implementation of the NAP while also suggesting a review of the plan to make certain changes if required.
They said all the participants opined that cooperation between the neighbouring countries could facilitate bringing peace to the region.
