TTP unilaterally scrapped ceasefire deal: NSA

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s security czar has said that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had unilaterally scrapped a ceasefire agreement with the government, just days after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid’s remarks that the talks with the outfit had stalled because of their unreasonable demands.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that organised terrorist networks were still operating on the Afghan soil, which was still being used against Pakistan.

Pakistan had approached the Afghan Taliban leadership after the group returned to power in August with a list of demands that included action against the TTP. However, the Afghan Taliban instead offered their good offices to broker a peace deal with the TTP.

Pakistan accepted the offer and after some face-to-face meetings between the two sides, a ceasefire deal was reached in November. However, Yusuf told the committee that the banned TTP had unilaterally scrapped the truce.

The committee, which met here with Malik Ehsan Ullah Tiwana in the chair, received a briefing from the NSA. Dr Yusuf told the committee that anyone imposing war on the country would be dealt with strongly.

Read India funded, supported attacks on CPEC: NSA Moeed

On Monday, Rashid had told the Senate that no talks were under way with any group at the moment. He added that negotiations with any outlawed group would be held within the ambit of Constitution. He also warned that any group posing threat to the country’s security would be dealt with an iron fist.

Earlier this month, a senior official told The Express Tribune that Pakistan believed the TTP was a “test case” for the Afghan Taliban, as tackling the group would help the interim government establish its credentials in the eyes of the world with regards to dealing with other terrorist outfits.

However, at the standing committee meeting, the NSA did not appear to be “completely optimistic” about the fledgling Taliban government in Afghanistan. The Taliban coming to power did not mean end to all the problems in the region,” Dr Yusuf told the committee. “Organised terrorist networks are still operating on the Afghan soil which is still being used against Pakistan,” he said.

National Security Policy

Yusuf said that the National Security Policy would not be implemented until approved by parliament. Economic sovereignty and security of the country and its citizens, debt relief, independent foreign policy and the Kashmir issue were important components of this policy, he said.

He added that governance was not part of the policy yet. “Promoting education, food security, hybrid warfare and eradicating organised crime are also part of the policy, which is a five-year policy,” he said, adding that it entailed both long and short-term measures.

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The committee highly appreciated the National Security Policy and stressed the need for strengthening the monitoring system for its proper implementation. The committee directed that the federal government might develop proper liaison with the provincial governments to bring its benefits at the gross root level.

The committee also appreciated the foreign policy of Pakistan, especially organising the 17th extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-CFM) in Islamabad.

CPEC benefits

Separately, in an interview with the Beijing Review, Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the safety of foreigners in the country was Pakistan’s responsibility, and concerns of Chinese workers and engineers working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects were taken seriously.

He mentioned that some countries and their proxy actors did not want the CPEC to succeed because they saw the Pakistan-China partnership a “threat”. He acknowledged that there had been a number of attacks on the CPEC projects, highlighting that India supported and funded them through anti-Pakistan organisations operating from third countries.

“Unfortunately, our enemies will continue to seek ways to target us,” he said, adding however that regardless of these attacks, “there is clear evidence that the Pakistan-China relationship is still going strong” as the two countries had come out “stronger and further strengthened security protocols”.

“All inimical forces working at the behest of external powers to undermine CPEC will be defeated,” he said, adding that Pakistan had a mechanism to ensure the security of every Chinese citizen in the country. He added that full potential of the CPEC would be realised if there was peace in the region.

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Yusuf further said that the CPEC was beneficial for both China and Pakistan as well as everyone who participates in it. “Since the start of the project in 2014, significant progress has been made on the ground. So far, projects with a combined installed capacity of more than 9 gigawatts have been completed and work on other energy projects is continuing at a pace,” he added.

According to the NSA, roads have also been built throughout the country to streamline internal connectivity. “We are entering the second phase, which is critical for industrialisation in the country and connectivity between China, Pakistan and the rest of the world,” he stated, adding that this phase will involve investment in a range of sectors, including agriculture and science and technology.

“We envisage CPEC to be a springboard for transforming Pakistan into a regional connectivity and trade hub,” he said, adding that the CPEC projects would contribute to internal physical connectivity, job creation, agricultural modernisation and industrial expansion in Pakistan.

‘Camp politics’

Responding to a question, the NSA maintained that Pakistan neither believed in camp politics nor wanted to be pushed in that direction. “China has always counselled us to have good relations with everyone, and we have always maintained that Islamabad’s relations with Beijing are not exclusive.”

“We desire good relations with the US, going beyond just a narrow security lens. The officials of both countries are talking on key issues in our bilateral relationship,” he said. He reiterated that Pakistan wanted to safeguard its national interests by having good ties with all major powers.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)