Prime Minister Shehbaz calls for a policy of zero tolerance towards the Afghan Taliban and the “Fitna al-Khawarij” alliance

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that Pakistan should adopt a “zero tolerance” policy towards the alliance between the Afghan Taliban regime and the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Pakistani forces targeted key military installations of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia with effective airstrikes early Friday. The military spokesperson said that Operation Ghazab Lil Haq against the Afghan Taliban was producing the expected results and continuing successfully.

He said Pakistan had “effectively pushed back” Afghan Taliban insurgents at 53 locations along the border, inflicting heavy casualties on them while exercising restraint to avoid harming civilians.

The Prime Minister paid a visit to the General Headquarters (GHQ) with members of the federal cabinet following the situation, where the military leadership provided a detailed briefing on the situation regarding the recent conflict with Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz reviewed the latest developments along the border with Afghanistan. During the briefing, military officials provided an overview of the current situation and security concerns related to Afghan Taliban forces.

“Zero tolerance to be adopted against the alliance of Fitna al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban regime and its malign activities. Actions of the Afghan Taliban regime and Fitna al-Khawarij against Pakistan are unacceptable,” he was quoted as saying in a statement published on state television channel X. PTV News.

Learn more: ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ against Afghan Taliban continues as Pakistan achieves ‘desired results’: DG ISPR

He further lauded the leadership of Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, emphasizing the resolve of the Pakistan Armed Forces to protect the nation.

“Pakistan knows well how to defend itself against any aggression,” the prime minister said, praising the professional capabilities of the army to thwart attacks in the border areas of the Afghan Taliban regime and mount a comprehensive retaliatory response.

“The entire nation stands with its Pakistani armed forces to defend the motherland.”

The federal government has consistently raised its voice at international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Following a series of suicide attacks, Pakistan carried out intelligence-led strikes on seven terrorist camps along the Afghan border early Sunday morning.

Security sources said Pakistan carried out a massive intelligence-led air operation in eastern Afghanistan, targeting seven key hideouts, killing several terrorists, including Taliban commander Akhtar Muhammad.

According to sources, jets struck terrorist hideouts in Bermal district of Paktika, where loud explosions were heard across the area. The facilities used by the terrorists were reportedly seriously damaged.

Earlier this month, a suicide bomber struck the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing 36 people and injuring around 169 others. The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.

Immediately after the blast, raids were carried out in Nowshera and Peshawar, resulting in the arrest of four facilitators. The ISIS-linked mastermind, an Afghan national, was also captured. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the network behind the blast was trained in Afghanistan and that authorities had gathered intelligence on the suspects before the attack.

In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in KP in mid-2023. The report highlights the close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, but also with anti-Pakistan groups and Al-Qaeda.

Read this: The breeding ground of terrorism

The report further reveals that some Taliban members have also joined the TTP, seeing it as a religious obligation to provide support.

Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families regularly received aid from the Taliban.

Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in the number of Afghan nationals in the ranks of the TTP. This supports Pakistan’s position that an increasing number of Afghan nationals are involved in suicide attacks in the country.

More recently, a UN Security Council report said attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan have increased, endorsing Islamabad’s long-standing complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border. The 37th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, not only endorsed Islamabad’s position that Afghanistan had become a sanctuary for militants using its territory to launch attacks against Pakistan, but it also came at a time when the country is facing a new wave of violence.