Kabul accused of harbouring terrorists

FO blames surge in attacks on Afghan sanctuary support

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Thursday again raised the issue of terror groups operating from neighbouring Afghanistan and expressed deep concerns that such outfits were getting support from "hostile powers".

The latest statement from the Foreign Office spokesperson came at a time when Pakistan has seen an unprecedented surge in terrorist attacks. Most of the deadly attacks were claimed by the outlawed TTP and Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, both of which, Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.

"Pakistan faces threat from the terror groups which have sanctuaries and hideouts in Afghanistan. Pakistan is concerned about the activities of these terror groups," Mumtaz Zahra Baloch flagged the issue at her weekly news briefing.

"We are also concerned about continued freedom of operation of terror groups that have found hideouts in Afghanistan," the spokesperson said, adding the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan discussed activities of terror groups.

"The Government of Pakistan is deeply concerned about the support that terror groups receive from hostile powers," she further said.

To a question, the spokesperson confirmed that Pakistan discussed the threat emanating from Afghanistan with the special envoys of China and Russia, who travelled to Islamabad recently.

Pakistan, according to sources, briefed the Russian and Chinese envoys about the presence of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan and shared fresh evidence to this effect. The spokesperson, however, would not divulge details of the meetings that took place behind closed doors.

The spokesperson when asked said no proposal was under consideration to appoint a special envoy on Afghanistan. "Our Additional Foreign Secretary for West Asia and Afghanistan continues to lead Pakistan's engagement with Afghanistan and discussions with neighboring countries of Afghanistan," she said.

Mumtaz said the terror threat posed by hideouts in Afghanistan was not just posing a security risk for Pakistan but also other countries. "It is critical that the Afghan authorities take action against terror groups that have found sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. We have, on several occasions, shared concrete evidence with the Afghan authorities, with regards to these terror groups and their operations in Afghanistan and their continued threat to the security of Pakistan," she maintained.

"The concerns of the international community have been conveyed in the United Nations reports and in the meetings of the neighboring countries and the regional countries on the Afghanistan situation. We hope that the Afghan authorities will consider this to be a serious threat, not just to the region, but also to their own security, and fulfill their obligations under various international agreements, including the Doha Agreement," she said.