Pakistan has voiced concerns over the existence of safe havens for terrorists in Afghanistan, urging the Taliban government to take decisive action in dismantling these hideouts as they pose threats to Pakistan’s sovereignty and security.
The concerns were voiced in the wake of recent military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Baluchistan, where 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom while combating terrorist elements.
Two messages more sharply than usual from the highest echelons of the state the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif coming on consecutive days expressed Pakistan’s displeasure with the Afghan Taliban’s accommodating approach to militant outfits on their soil.
They said Afghanistan is not fulfilling its responsibility of being a good neighbor and brotherly country. It is not abiding by the Doha agreement. 5-6 million Afghans have been living on asylum in Pakistan with all rights for the last 40 to 50 years.
On the contrary, the terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis can find safe havens in Afghanistan. This situation cannot continue any longer. Pakistan will use all its resources to protect its land and citizens, God willing.
The Pakistani authorities have urged Kabul to eliminate terrorist safe havens and take action against the banned terror outfits camped in Afghanistan and operating out of there.
After continuous bilateral engagement through diplomatic channels, the recent China-Pakistan and Afghanistan trilateral Summit urged Afghan interim rulers to remove terror safe havens and not allow terrorist groups to use its soil for cross-border attacks against other nations.
Although, Afghan authorities agreed to uphold their commitments under Doha agreement and Islamabad Summit, but failed to take any appropriate action against TTP miscreants staying in their country.
A Taliban spokesperson has recently claimed that their government was not allowing the use of its soil against any country and that TTP was a problem for Pakistan to deal with, which further disappointed Islamabad in this regard.
Presently, the bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul are at a record low because of terrorism issues. Recently, the TTP has demanded the Pakistan government reverse the FATA merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, so it can establish Afghanistan-style Khalafit in tribal areas.
Constitutionally, the TTP and Pakistan cannot go hand in hand as the TTP agenda is totally opposite of the Constitution. The Pushtun nation would be the biggest loser in case of any Pak-Afghan conflict because Pushtuns live on both sides of the Durand line.
Taliban, of course, have their own set of problems to deal with but checking terror groups must top their priority as this has a natural link with their survival and recognition on the diplomatic front.
Likewise, it constitutes an existential issue for Pakistan, as it has been the worst sufferer at the hands of the terror nexus that finds refuge on Afghanistan’s soil.
Finally yet importantly, what bothers me more is that despite 90% of the border between the two countries being fenced, the luxury of movement that TTP and their wards have is questionable.
This hints at some mysterious plan at work at the behest of regional and international elements who apparently do not want to see peace return. The onus is on the Afghan Taliban to organize their affairs and cleanse their society of gun-wielders.
The Afghan government shows a recognition that stability is essential to achieve the aim of making Afghanistan a hub of trade and prosperity. However, that recognition does not accord with its actions.
Afghanistan must clear concerns of Pakistan on the safe havens and liberty of action available to the banned so both nations move toward peace, greater cooperation, and shared growth in the future.
