PM’s aide says Pakistan acted ‘decisively’; The recent wave of terror described as a declaration of war by the Taliban; The nation supports the forces
A file photo of a checkpoint on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Security forces responded immediately to put an end to unprovoked shooting by the Afghan Taliban along the international border on Tuesday, amid intense friction between the two countries, according to the Prime Minister’s spokesperson.
“The Afghan Taliban regime launched unprovoked firing along the Pakistan-Afghan border in Torkham and Tirah sub-sectors. Pakistani security forces responded immediately and effectively, silencing the Taliban aggression,” said Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s foreign media spokesperson.
He warned that any further provocations would be met with an “immediate and severe” response, adding that Pakistan would continue to protect its citizens and preserve its territorial integrity.
Analysts view the recent terrorist incidents from Afghanistan – including the attack on a federal police convoy in Karak district, the burning of police personnel, the martyrdom of DSP Asad Mehmood in Shakardara (Kohat) and the suicide attack in Bhakkar – as an open war of Afghanistan against the state of Pakistan.
According to them, these suicide attacks during Ramazan reflect the fact that these terrorists have no connection with Islam or Pashtun traditions. For them, innocent human lives have no value in pursuit of their malicious, self-proclaimed ideology, they added.
Instead of responding to Pakistan’s constant demand to end the patronage of ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’, the Afghan Taliban regime’s blatant aggression against Pakistan amounts to a challenge to Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan will respond to this war declared by the Afghan Taliban regime with full national determination and unity. Pakistani security forces, backed by the full support of public opinion, are determined and united in eliminating all elements that threaten national security.
This war against the state of Pakistan and its people demands that we rise above political affiliations and confront this terrorism supported by Afghanistan and India.
National security, dignity and protection of life and property must take precedence over political and personal interests. Eliminating these enemies of humanity and Islam (Khawarij) should be our top priority.
Our security forces and law enforcement officers sacrifice their lives to defend the country’s internal and external borders. Behind these sacrifices is the unwavering love and unity of the Pakistani nation.
This handful of terrorists, dancing to the tune of foreign masters, will be decisively defeated by the Pakistani nation and its security institutions through unity, national honor and traditional resolve.
Furthermore, 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.
In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (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.
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.
