TTP is our ‘red line: Asif Durrani

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Khan Durrani has said that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was the country’s “red line” and expressed the hope that the interim Afghan government would take effective action against it.

Durrani was addressing a roundtable discussion on “Pak-Afghan relations: challenges and opportunities” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here Tuesday.

The envoy said that the terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is a concern not only for Pakistan but also for other neighbouring countries like China, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. He urged the Kabul administration to take steps against terrorist groups. He said that we have to deal with the Kabul regime with patience and perseverance as Pakistan desires “peace and stability in Afghanistan”. He, however, called upon the Pakistan government to continue its crackdown against smuggling from Afghanistan.

Durrani emphasized that Pakistan desired such socioeconomic and political conditions in Afghanistan facilitating the return of over three million Afghan refugees currently residing in the country. He asked the international community, especially the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to come up with strategies for the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

Durrani observed that the Afghan administration’s efforts for poppy eradication were acknowledged by stakeholders at the UN Doha meeting held earlier this month. He called for removing obstacles to trade between the two countries allowing transit of Pakistan’s goods from Afghanistan to Central Asia.

He urged for speedy completion of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Casa-1000 power transmission line from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Abrar Hussain, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, stressed the importance of border management in the relations between the two countries. He supported people-to-people as well as diplomatic contacts between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels.

He urged regional countries to assist the Afghan interim government to address its capacity issues on dealing with terrorism emanating out of Afghanistan.

Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, enumerating multiple commonalities and linkages between Pakistan and Afghanistan besides the economic interdependence, named terrorism as the major source of friction between the two countries and called upon the Afghan interim administration to honour its commitments about not allowing its soil to be used for terrorism against any other country. He said supporting counter-terrorism would be in the interest of Afghanistan itself.