Top military commanders on Monday rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was not operating from their soil, saying the terrorist outfit not only had sanctuaries across the border but access to latest weapons.
Tensions flared up between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent weeks with Islamabad expressing concerns over lack of action by Kabul against the TTP.
After hard-hitting statements by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accusing the Afghan Taliban for not fulfilling the commitments, corps commanders held detailed discussions on the subject.
The Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) was presided over by the army chief and was briefed in detail about the prevailing internal security environment, according to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (#COAS) presided over the 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at GHQ today. #PakistanArmy #Pakistan #ISPR
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) July 17, 2023
The forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices persistently being offered by the valiant soldiers in the… pic.twitter.com/PzDjb4irpb
“The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in a neighbouring country and availability of latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as major reasons impacting security of Pakistan,” the ISPR statement added.
The statement came a day after the Afghan Taliban spokesperson rejected Pakistani allegations and insisted that TTP was not operating out of Afghan soil. The spokesperson also said that the Doha agreement was between the Afghan Taliban and US and Pakistan was not part of it.
The Taliban denial of the presence of TTP is seen as astonishing as the interim government previously hosted talks between Pakistani officials and TTP leadership in Kabul.
The new stance by the Afghan Taliban suggests a growing mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Read more: COAS assures full support for govt's development initiatives
The TTP has emerged as a major stumbling block between the two countries. Despite Pakistan’s repeated requests, the Afghan Taliban were not willing to tackle the TTP.
The lack of action and recent surge in terrorist attacks compelled the civil and military leadership to adopt more aggressive stance against Kabul.
Meanwhile, the corps commanders deliberated in detail upon the operational preparedness and training aspects of the army. The COAS said, “Objective training remains the hallmark of our professionalism and we must always remain prepared to guard against any threat to our national security.”
#ISPR
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) July 17, 2023
General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (#COAS) presided over the 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at GHQ today. @OfficialDGISPR #PakistanArmy
The forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices persistently being offered by the valiant soldiers in… pic.twitter.com/VB8PjDEuPV
The forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices persistently being offered by the valiant soldiers in the defence of their motherland against the threat of terrorism.
The forum was also apprised about the government’s economic revival plan and role of the army in uplifting agriculture, IT, mining and mineral and defence production sectors under the ambit of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
The participants vowed to fully support the strategic initiatives planned by the government of Pakistan for the revival of the economy by providing all possible technical and management support for the overall good of the people of Pakistan.
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