Kabul told ties hinge on how it deals with TTP: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday, both in the Foreign Office and at the United Nations in New York, expressed deep concern over the possession and use of modern sophisticated arms and weapons by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is a listed terrorist organisation.

Pakistan has also communicated to Kabul that the bilateral relations from now on are dependent on the interim regime’s treatment of the TTP so the terror threat against Pakistan from the Afghan soil is eliminated.

“The threat that this possession of sophisticated arms requires collaborative action by the international community and collaborative strategies to neutralise this threat. We will continue to work towards this end. We are yet to see substantive facts and action that would result in effective results on ground with the reduction of terror incidents being sponsored by TTP that is now holding sanctuaries inside Afghanistan“, said the spokeswoman at the Foreign Office during the weekly presser.

She said this issue was raised by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations even though Pakistan is not a member of the UN Security Council. The Permanent Representative, she added, had highlighted this concern that Pakistan had about its security, the rising threat of terrorism, and its desire for peace in the region. “And we will continue to do so”, she said.

However, the spokeswoman did not mince her words and said, “On talks with TTP Pakistan is very clear. There are no talks taking place, and there are no talks on the agenda between the state of Pakistan and TTP. Our issue right now that we are focusing on is the action that the Afghan authorities must take against TTP elements and rein them in so that the terror threat against Pakistan from the Afghan soil is eliminated.”

After deciding that all undocumented Afghans should leave Pakistan, the government now is making it very clear to Kabul that future bilateral relations will rest heavily on how they deal with the TTP. “Any process of engagement with the Afghan interim government should be conducted based on the action that it takes against these terrorist organisations. Else, we will see the recurrence and proliferation of terrorism from Afghanistan as happened prior to 9/11, threatening not only the region but the entire world,” Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the UN warned at the UNSC on Wednesday.

He said Pakistan hoped that the Security Council and all relevant stakeholders in the international community to adopt a comprehensive, long-term and realistic roadmap for Afghanistan’s normalisation. “Any process of engagement with the Afghan interim government must be constituted based on its response to the core concerns of the international community; respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls; political inclusivity; and action to neutralise terrorist organisations in Afghanistan - not only Daesh, but also the TTP and other entities that threaten the security of Afghanistan’s neighbours,” he added.

He pointed out that the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan constituted the most significant threat to Afghanistan and to the entire region and perhaps the world. “While the interim authorities have reported some success in the fight against Daesh, the fact is that a number of terrorist groups are living in Afghanistan, evidently under the protection of the Afghan interim government,” he said.

However, the spokeswoman appeared clearly uneasy when asked why Kabul had ignored the Pakistan government and instead invited JUIF head Maulana Fazlur Rehman to visit Kabul for bilateral talks, an invitation that Maulana Fazlur Rehman accepted. “We do not comment on visits or invitations of private individuals

to foreign countries. So, that’s my response to your question.”

The spokeswoman was also reluctant to comment on the confession by a Baloch separatist commander of India’s help against Pakistan during his announcement of giving up resistance along with his group of 70 armed men. “But, Pakistan is concerned about the involvement of Indian intelligence agencies in supporting, financing terrorists’ elements and terrorist activities inside Pakistan. There are a number of cases where we have substantive evidence of the involvement of terrorist elements, which are funded and supported by India, and in coming days we will be sharing more details with the media”, she said.

To a question that Indian media was running that Dawood Ibrahim has been poisoned in Karachi and he has been admitted to some hospital, the spokesperson said, “First of all, we must remember that India has the habit of propagating false news and accusations against Pakistan. There is credible evidence, which has come to light, including through the Disinfo, EU DisInfo labs that India routinely engages in false news and targets Pakistan and that is why we would not like to comment on such false narrative that they propagate to target Pakistan.”