Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Turkey in Doha on October 19. Photo: Reuters
ISLAMABAD:
Stating that the Afghan Taliban were not the “darling of Pakistan”, the chief military spokesperson warned that any cross-border attack from Afghanistan would effectively end the existing ceasefire, adding that such aggression would draw a “swift and strong response”.
In an informal interaction with journalists in Rawalpindi on Monday, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan resulted in the death of 206 Afghan Taliban soldiers and 110 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) personnel.
He said Pakistan had always fought against terrorism and would continue to do so, reiterating that Islamabad would never hold talks with any terrorist group.
“We are engaged with the Afghan Taliban regime, but we will not negotiate with any terrorist group,” he said.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry stressed that “security is not achieved through demands or appeasement.” He said Pakistan reserved the right to defend itself and would respond forcefully to any attack.
According to him, the Afghan Taliban had previously asked Qatar and Turkey to mediate between the two sides. During these interactions, Pakistan presented “irrefutable evidence” of terrorist attacks and infiltrations from Afghan soil.
“We told Afghanistan that it must either take action against these militants or hand them over to us so that we can bring them to justice.”
He lamented that the Doha Agreement, which outlined the Afghan Taliban’s commitments, was not being implemented, wondering how long Afghanistan would continue in an interim framework. The spokesperson also criticized the Taliban’s ideology, saying women are still denied access to education.
DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan’s agenda with Afghanistan is singular: Afghan soil should not be used for attacks against Pakistan. “Pakistan’s only concern is that its borders and people remain secure.”
He stressed that Afghanistan’s conditions or demands had no significance for Pakistan in terms of national security. “The elimination of terrorism is not negotiable,” he stressed.
He directly linked terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the narco-economy, revealing that around 12,000 acres of land in the Tirah Valley was under poppy cultivation.
“Each acre brings a profit of between Rs1.8 million and Rs3.2 million,” he said, adding that local politicians and influential figures were complicit in this illicit trade.
“The Afghan Taliban protects these activities because the poppy is transported to Afghanistan, where it is transformed into ice and other narcotics,” he explained.
He said military operations in the Tirah Valley destroyed poppy crops through coordinated efforts involving drones, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and the Frontier Corps (FC).
According to DG ISPR, 192 security personnel were martyred during operations in Tirah in the past year. He claimed that political leaders, drug cartels, the Afghan Taliban and the TTP jointly maintained this criminal network.
“This unholy nexus between the drug mafia and terrorist groups is one of the main obstacles to eliminating crime and militancy in the region,” he stressed.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added that unpaid vehicles and Iranian oil smuggling were also sources of terrorism financing.
Asked about his criticism of “local politicians”, he did not deny suggestions that his comments referred to KP Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, but he clarified that he recognized Afridi as the rightful chief minister of the province.
DG ISPR urged policymakers not to politicize counter-terrorism operations.
“Politicians may differ on other issues, but terrorism should not be politicized,” he said, pointing out that 62,113 operations were carried out across Pakistan this year, majority of them in Balochistan, resulting in the martyrdom of 582 soldiers and the death of 1,667 terrorists belonging to the TTP.
He said the number of madrasahs in Pakistan had increased from 48,000 in 2014 to more than 100,000, and many of them were being monitored for possible misuse.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed that the army wanted to stay out of politics. “The army does not want to get involved in political affairs. It must stay away from politics,” he said.
Warning to India
In a strong message to New Delhi, he said India was preparing another false flag operation on the high seas. “India can do whatever it wants – on land, in the air or at sea – but it must know that Pakistan’s response this time will be harsher than before.”
He added that Pakistan’s response in Afghanistan was swift and any external aggression would be dealt with decisively.
Gaza deployment and foreign policy
Regarding the possibility of deploying Pakistani peacekeeping forces in Gaza, DG ISPR clarified that the issue did not fall under military jurisdiction.
“This issue concerns the government. Any decision to send forces to Gaza will be taken by the government and parliament,” he said.
He stressed that Pakistan is a sovereign state that makes its own political decisions and the army is fully prepared to protect the country’s borders and people. He also denied any agreement between Pakistan and the United States regarding the use of drones in Afghanistan.
