Pakistan presses Afghan govt on TTP

FO says Kabul knows whereabouts of terror group, affiliates

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Friday said the Afghan Taliban authorities knew the whereabouts of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorists and added “Islamabad expects Kabul to take concrete action against them”.

“Pakistan has been engaged in several conversations with the Afghan authorities in the last several months, where we have been exchanging intelligence and information, concrete evidence of individuals and groups responsible for terror attacks inside Pakistan,” the Foreign Office spokesperson told reporters at a weekly briefing.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was responding to a series of questions about a surge in terrorist attacks in the country in recent weeks and Pakistan’s possible next step.

While she refused to share any details about Islamabad’s potential next step if Kabul refuses to take action against the TTP, the spokesperson said Pakistan had expectations from the Afghan authorities to move swiftly against the terror outfits.

The Foreign Office summoned the Afghan embassy in-charge earlier this week after terrorist attack on the Bannu cantonment. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group took responsibility of the attack. The Afghan envoy was recorded a strong protest and was told to convey Pakistan’s strong reservations to the Afghan authorities.

“We expect the Afghan authorities to take concrete action, effective action, robust action against these groups, to disarm the TTP and Gul Bahadur Group and hand over their leadership and those responsible for terror attacks against Pakistan,” she demanded.

“The Afghan authorities know the whereabouts of these individuals. They are aware of the concerns that Pakistan has about their activities. They are aware of the activities of these individuals and groups and their sponsors,” she said.

“We expect Afghanistan to take immediate and effective action against these terror groups and any sponsors or backers of these terror groups,” she added.

Regarding US concerns over the move to ban Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the spokesperson termed the State Department statement unwarranted. “The recent decisions by Pakistani courts, including the Supreme Court of Pakistan, show the strengths of Pakistan’s legal and judicial system and the ability of the Pakistani nation to deal with domestic challenges. Commentary from abroad is therefore unwarranted and unacceptable interference in Pakistan’s domestic affairs,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, the charge d’affaires of Afghanistan’s embassy in Islamabad, told TOLOnews that the message received from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has been shared with Kabul.