Kabul reluctant to extradite terrorists

Interior minister hopes Afghanistan will not speak someone else’s language and cooperate with Pakistan

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s security czar has accused Afghanistan of not cooperating in the fight against terrorism saying that Kabul is reluctant to extradite some of the most-wanted Pakistani terrorists hiding in the neighbouring country.

“There has been no response from Afghanistan on the extradition of Pakistan’s most wanted terrorists. Enough time has passed but there has been no headway yet,” said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while briefing journalists during a meeting of interior ministry officials at his office on Tuesday.

Although Nisar did not name anyone, Islamabad has long been seeking deportation of fugitive Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah, who is said to be operating from northeastern Afghan province of Kunar where he has found a sanctuary after he fled a military operation in Swat in 2008.

Read: Islamabad to press Kabul for decisive anti-TTP action



The relationship between the two neighbouring countries has been strained by allegations and counter-allegations of sponsoring terrorism in the recent past, especially since the Peshawar school carnage was found to have been planned and executed from Afghanistan. The flurry of statements resumed after the attack on the PAF base in Badhaber, once again said to be planned and handled by TTP terrorists from across the border.

At the briefing, the interior minister reiterated that the mastermind of Badhaber attack was also operating from Afghanistan. “We have identified where the attackers stayed, from where they moved. Some facts are still awaited but our security and intelligence agencies have traced the main links,” he added.

“Pakistan will share all evidence which confirms the terrorists’ mastermind was operating from Afghan soil. We hope Kabul will not speak someone else’s language and cooperate with us.”

He believed the only way to stop terrorists’ infiltration from across the border was to fence the Durand Line. He also blamed Kabul for not following the border management system. “We must stop the blame game now,” he added. “It has been our longstanding desire to help out Afghan forces to bring peace to the strife-torn country.”

He said Kabul was showing unnecessary confusion, which otherwise should not be expressed as both states had agreed to crush terrorists and not let them use their soils against the other.

Nisar said his ministry would also move a proposal after Eidul Azha to form a special committee to stop terror financing in the country. Officials of State Bank, Federal Investigation Agency, intelligence agencies and provincial counter-terrorism departments will be the members of this committee.

Read: Pakistan embassy staff in Kabul limits movement

Afghan ‘terrorist’ arrested

The Charsadda police claimed to have arrested an Afghan national along with three other suspected terrorists allegedly involved in the Badhaber base attack. Illegal mobile SIM cards were also seized from them. The police arrested Bakhtiar in an intelligence-guided raid in the Paly Dheri area, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said. Three more suspected terrorists were also arrested in separate raids. Hafiz Muhammad, a nephew of militant commander Qari Ashraf, was arrested from Lakki Marwat, while Wajid was arrested from Mirain, Bannu. Several cellphone SIM cards were found on him, which he used for extortion calls.

Another militant was arrested by the Mardan police in a raid in Swabi.

More than 40 suspects, including a Lashkar-e-Islam commander, were arrested during search operations jointly conducted by the police and security forces in Bazid Khel and surrounding areas of Badhaber.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.