ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday warned the Afghan Taliban regime to rein in terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan’s territory and carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said Islamabad had evidence of foreign involvement in recent terror attacks and called for sincere dialogue to restore calm.
Speaking in the National Assembly, PM Sharif condemned recent terror attacks that have cost civilian lives and praised security forces for their sacrifices.
He said the hands of foreign elements were visible in attacks in the federal capital and in Wana. “They will be delivered a befitting response as was done in the past,” he said, singling out the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as terrorist groups that must not be allowed to hinder Pakistan’s peace and development.
Prime Minister Sharif said Pakistan desired peace in Afghanistan and invited Kabul to engage “with full sincerity”. He offered Pakistan’s support for regional stability and appealed for commitments from the Afghan side to curb militant groups.
The prime minister strongly condemned the attack on Cadet College Wana. He lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces for rescuing students and eliminating the terrorists. He also condemned a suicide blast outside the Judicial Complex in Islamabad that killed 12 people on Tuesday.
PM Sharif told parliament that “elements from India and Afghanistan were involved in these terrorist incidents”, and said Islamabad had presented what he described as “undeniable proof” of Indian involvement in the Jaffar Express attack.
He repeated that peace talks with the Afghan interim government in Doha and Istanbul had proceeded on the condition that terrorist groups such as the TTP and BLA be curbed. “We desire peace and stability in the region and expect Afghanistan to make sincere commitments to support Pakistan’s peace efforts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Afghanistan’s reported move to divert trade away from Pakistan could be a “blessing in disguise”.
Speaking to Geo News, Asif said the reduction in cross-border traffic might make it harder for militants and smugglers to infiltrate Pakistan.
“This is Afghanistan’s internal matter. They can trade wherever they find cheaper routes — Iran, Turkiye, Turkmenistan or India,” he said. “In fact, this should be taken as a relief for us.”
Asif said he did not expect the decision to inflict economic harm on Pakistan. He noted that a large volume of Afghan cargo currently booked through Karachi passes across the border, and suggested that reduced traffic would ease border management and lower the risk of terrorism.
Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told the UN Security Council this week that advanced weapons left in Afghanistan after foreign troop withdrawals were reaching non-state actors. He urged global action to prevent the flow of arms to terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, naming ISIL-K, the TTP, the BLA and the Majeed Brigade as threats to regional stability.
