FO briefing: Kabul told to act decisively against border incursions

Islamabad demands ‘concrete measures’ against terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has urged Afghanistan and the US-led international forces to take decisive action against the ‘terrorist sanctuaries’ being used by militants to launch repeated cross-border attacks on its territory.

At his weekly news briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesperson Moazzam Ali Khan told reporters that Islamabad has taken up the issue of cross-border incursions with the Afghan government as well as the Isaf/Nato commander.

“We hope that some concrete measures will be taken by the Afghan government as well as the ISAF,” said the spokesperson referring to more than a dozen deadly cross-border assaults that have killed over a 100 people including civilians and soldiers in recent months.

This is not the first time that Islamabad has pressed Kabul to act against militant safe havens in its eastern Kunar and Nooristan provinces.

Pakistan says Mullah Fazlullah and other militants, who fled the army’s counter-terrorism operations in Swat and Bajaur, have found refuge across the border in Afghanistan.

Last week, Isaf commander in Afghanistan General John Allen had stated that his forces were ready to act on the Afghan side of the border if Pakistan reciprocates action against militant safe havens on its side of the Durand Line.

MoU on NATO supply routes

When asked, the spokesperson said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to regulate supplies for Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan would be signed soon.

However, he did not provide further details adding that the new deal would be in line with the recommendations approved by parliament in April this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2012.