ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday warned that Islamabad will not hesitate to launch fresh actions, including possible air strikes, if Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities fail to guarantee peace prevent terrorist groups from operating from their soil.
Defence Minister Asif, in a statement, said more than 70 percent of terrorist incidents in Pakistan involved Afghan nationals adding that Kabul was not serious about eliminating militancy.
“If Kabul does not provide guarantees of peace, we will not hesitate to take new actions,” he said, adding that Pakistan reserved the right to take “all necessary measures” against terrorism.
The remarks come after a February 16 vehicle-borne suicide attack on a joint security forces post in Bajaur district near the Afghan border.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 12 terrorists belonging to the “Indian proxy” Fitna Al-Khwarij, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were killed in the assault.
Eleven Pakistani security personnel were martyred when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the perimeter wall of the check post.
The blast also damaged nearby residential buildings. A young girl was killed and seven others, including women and children, were injured, officials said.
Investigators identified the suicide bomber as an Afghan national linked to the Afghan Taliban’s special forces. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the incident, Pakistan summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission and lodged a strong demarche.
“The Afghan Taliban regime has been told to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terror groups operating from its territory,” the Foreign Office said.
‘Right to self-defence’
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan reserved the right to act in self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
“We cannot let our people be killed incessantly,” he said at a weekly briefing. “Our patience is obviously not unlimited.”
Andrabi said Pakistan had repeatedly demanded that Afghan territory not be used for attacks inside Pakistan but had received “no positive response”.
Defence Minister Asif, in an interview to FRANCE 24, said that Pakistan retained the option of air strikes.
“We always have that option and we can exercise that option. There is absolutely no hesitation,” he said.
India-Afghan Taliban nexus
Khawaja Asif said that India was waging a proxy war against Pakistan in collusion with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and terrorist groups.
“After the four-day conflict in May last year, India was badly beaten,” Asif said. “As a result, India is now waging a proxy war against Pakistan.”
He claimed New Delhi and Kabul were “on the same page” in terror actions against Pakistan.
Islamabad has long accused India of supporting terrorist groups to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan.
The defence minister cited the presence of terror groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, TTP factions and Islamic State in Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of providing safe havens.
United Nations reports in recent years have noted that the TTP maintains bases in Afghanistan and has benefited from Taliban support.
Surge in terror attacks since 2021
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have risen sharply since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Pakistani officials say more than 3,500 attacks last year were attributed to the TTP and that around 6,000 terrorists are believed to be operating from Afghan territory.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said recent major attacks were planned and directed from Afghanistan.
