Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan shared good relations with the interim government in Afghanistan, but at the same time expressed concern that the \u201cTTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] is using Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\u201d.<\/p>\n
He passed these remarks in an interview with Voice of America a day earlier.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the latter half of last year. The TTP formally ended the ceasefire on November 28 and since then executed more than 100 attacks. Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the TTP leadership based in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
During the interview on Tuesday, Asif recalled that the issue of increased attacks by the TTP was brought to the notice [of the Afghan Taliban rulers] during his recent visit to Kabul.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, a Pakistani delegation \u2014 comprising Asif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires (CdA) to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan\u2019s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq \u2014 visited the Afghan capital for talks on security-related matters, including counter-terrorism measures.<\/p>\n
Talking to VOA, the minister said: \u201c[In the meeting] The [Afghan] Taliban had expressed their determination to deal with this problem and said that they won\u2019t allow their land to be used for terrorism as per the Doha Agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asif said the Afghan Taliban and TTP shared a \u201ccamaraderie\u201d because they have been fighting against Nato together for the past 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to my information on TTP militants, between 7,000 to 8,000 of them have been involved in the war against Nato with the Afghan Taliban.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this context, there is a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen in their [Afghan Taliban\u2019s] words during our meetings that they are not in a position to oppose them [TTP] but they also want to help Pakistan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At one point during the interview, Asif said that the TTP was equipped with advanced weapons such as night vision goggles that were left behind by the American forces when they exited Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are also getting such devices from other countries,\u201d he claimed. \u201cThose who do not have good relations with Pakistan, like India, to name a few, have provided help in the past through their consulates inside Afghanistan \u2026 we have also provided evidence to the international community [on this] \u2026 now they are helping the Taliban.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talking about the recent protests in KP against rising militancy, the minister said that the people of the province were not ready to \u201cco-exist\u201d with the TTP.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is remarkable that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban [in Pakistan]. These people have been poisoned by the Taliban in the past as well. Look at the leadership of PTM [Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement], their relatives were killed by TTP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is encouraging is that people protested of their own will. They did not protest in the past. They have realised that they don\u2019t want to live with the TTP, considering the peaceful life they have lived in the last eight to 10 years,\u201d Asif added.<\/p>\n
He also admitted that due to the political situation in Pakistan, protests against militancy in several areas of Pakistan were often overlooked by the media.<\/p>\n
In response to a question, the minister said that there was no difference between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban. \u201cBut according to our talks with the Afghan Taliban \u2026 it seems that they want to distance themselves from the TTP,\u201d he pointed out, adding that the Afghan Taliban were \u201cpolitically astute\u201d people.<\/p>\n
Asif\u2019s remarks come days after the National Security Committee (NSC) \u2014 the principal decision-making body on national security matters \u2014 agreed to launch an \u201call-out comprehensive operation\u201d to rid the country of the menace of terrorism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meeting agreed to launch an all-out comprehensive operation with [the participation of] entire nation and government to rid the country of the menace of terrorism with renewed vigour and determination,\u201d the press release issued by the Prime Minister\u2019s Office after the meeting had said.<\/p>\n
It had added that the operation to eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms from Pakistan would incorporate measures at political, diplomatic security, economic and social levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan shared good relations with the interim government in Afghanistan, but at the same time expressed concern that the \u201cTTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] is using Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\u201d. He passed these remarks in an interview with Voice of America a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n