Pakistani minister’s statement ‘provocative, baseless’: MoD

KABUL (Pajhwok): The caretaker government in Kabul has spurned Pakistan’s interior minister’s claim that Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts exist in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Afghan Ministry of Defense accused Islamabad of endangering bilateral relations after Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Islamabad had legal right to target TTP hideouts if attacked by the group from Afghan soil.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense in response said Afghanistan was not without its owner and they had better experience than others to defend the country.

Rana Sanaullah in an interview with Express News TV was asked “will Pakistan take action against the TTP inside Afghanistan if the caretaker government does not take action against the group?”

Sanaullah replied they would first ask the Muslim and brotherly nation of Afghanistan to destroy TTP hideouts and hand over its affiliates to Pakistan. “But if such action is not taken, Pakistan will take action”.

In its statement, the Afghan Defense Ministry called Sanaullah’s statement as baseless and provocative, saying there was evidence that TTP hideouts existed on Pakistani soil not in Afghanistan.

However, the statement said every matter should be resolved through understanding.

The Pakistani army had previously targeted TTP centers in Khost and Paktika provinces.

A week after these attacks, Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said he tolerated the attacks in ‘national interest’ and warned that he will not remain silent in the face of such attacks.

Last year, the caretaker government hosted talks between Pakistani officials and TTP representatives in Kabul that resulted in an abortive cease-fire.

The TTP walked away from a months-long truce with Islamabad in November, saying the Pakistani Army had failed to fulfill unspecified pledges.

Pakistan blames the TTP for at least 250 attacks that killed more than 400 people in Pakistan between August 2021 and August 2022.

ma

Views: 231