PM visits GHQ, vows ‘zero tolerance’ for Afghan Taliban-TTP nexus
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits GHQ, receives briefing on Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes on Friday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that Pakistan should adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy towards the alliance between the Afghan Taliban regime and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group.
Pakistani forces targeted key military installations of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia through effective airstrikes, early on Friday. The military spokesperson said the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ against the Afghan Taliban was producing the desired results and continued successfully.
He said Pakistan had “effectively repulsed” Afghan Taliban insurgents at 53 locations along the border, inflicting heavy losses while exercising restraint to avoid civilian harm.
The premier paid a visit to the General Headquarters (GHQ) along with members of the federal cabinet in the aftermath of the situation, where the military leadership provided a detailed briefing on the situation regarding the recent conflict with Afghanistan.
PM Shehbaz reviewed the latest developments along the border with Afghanistan. During the briefing, military officials presented an overview of the ongoing situation and security concerns related to Afghan Taliban forces.
"Zero tolerance to be adopted against the alliance of Fitna al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban regime and their malicious activities. Actions of the Afghan Taliban regime and Fitna al-Khawarij against Pakistan are unacceptable," he was quoted as saying in a statement posted on X by state broadcaster PTV News.
Read More: ‘Op Ghazab Lil Haq’ against Afghan Taliban continues as Pakistan achieves 'desired results': DG ISPR
He further praised the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, highlighting the readiness of Pakistan's armed forces to protect the nation.
"Pakistan knows well how to defend itself against any aggression," the prime minister said as he praised the professional capabilities of the military for thwarting attacks in the Afghan Taliban regime's border areas and mounting a full retaliatory response.
"The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with its Pakistan Armed Forces for the defence of the homeland."
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visited GHQ and received a detailed briefing on the Pakistan Afghanistan security situation. Reaffirming zero tolerance for terrorism and hostile actions against Pakistan, he expressed full confidence in the leadership of COAS & CDF, Field… pic.twitter.com/nGuGL4PQdX
The federal government has been consistently raising its voice on international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan.
Following a series of suicide bombings, Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes on seven terrorist camps along the Afghan border early on Sunday morning.
Security sources said Pakistan conducted a large intelligence-based aerial operation in eastern Afghanistan targeting seven key hideouts, killing several terrorists, including Taliban commander Akhtar Muhammad.
According to sources, jet aircraft struck terrorist shelters in Bermal district of Paktika, where loud explosions were heard across the area. Facilities used by terrorists were reported heavily damaged.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber struck the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing 36 people and injuring around 169 others. The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
Immediately following the blast, raids were conducted in Nowshera and Peshawar, resulting in the arrest of four facilitators. The Daesh-linked mastermind, an Afghan national, was also captured. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the network behind the blast was trained in Afghanistan and that authorities had gathered intelligence on the suspects prior to the attack.
In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.
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The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.
Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.
Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in the TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.
More recently, a UNSC report said that attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan have increased, endorsing Islamabad's long-running complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border. The 37th report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, not only endorsed Islamabad's stance that Afghanistan had become a sanctuary for militants who used its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, but also came at a time when the country is facing a renewed spate of violence.