India top sponsor of terrorism: ISPR

DG terms Afghan Taliban, TTP, BLA Indian proxies Warns Kabul of heavy price for backing terrorists Urges global

RAWALPINDI:

Chief military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has described India as the biggest sponsor of terrorism in Pakistan and alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were Indian proxies against Pakistan.

In an interview with Reuters on October 30, Lt Gen Chaudhry, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), warned the Afghan Taliban regime that it would pay a heavy price if it failed to meet Pakistan's demands to stop supporting terrorist groups operating inside the country.

Pakistan's only demand from the Afghan Taliban was to end its support for terrorists, he said, adding that the Taliban regime was providing shelter to militant leaders and facilitating terrorist operations against Pakistan.

The DG ISPR said the Afghan Taliban used non-state actors and mercenaries to pursue its objectives, adding that Afghanistan remained under the influence of such elements.

He said several agencies and proxy groups had established roots in Afghanistan following Russian intervention in the country. International terrorist organisations, including Jaish al-Adl, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), were also present there, he added.

According to him, the United Nations, the United States and several other countries had also highlighted the presence of these groups in Afghanistan.

He alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime had provided shelter to militant leaders, including Noor Wali Mehsud, Bashir Zeb and Gul Bahadur. Terrorist formations responsible for attacks in Pakistan travelled from Afghanistan and received weapons from there, he added.

The chief military spokesperson said the Afghan Taliban regime had no international credibility and urged the global community to exert pressure on it to behave like a normal state.

He also called on the international community to press the Afghan Taliban to stop the cultivation and production of narcotics, while asserting that Pakistan's armed forces were fully capable of countering all threats originating from Afghanistan, including drones.