ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Office has rejected the remarks of the Press Office of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 27th June regarding the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) activities in Afghanistan.
In response to the media queries, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said on Monday that the assertions of the Afghan side are contrary to facts on the ground and various reports of the UN, which also corroborate the presence and activities of over 5000-strong TTP in Afghanistan.
The Spokesperson said that over the last many years, TTP has launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts.
Chaudhri said that the 12th Report of the UN Monitoring Team, issued in June 2021, acknowledges TTP’s “distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives” and notes its location within Afghanistan “near the border with Pakistan”. He said that TTP following its gg reunification with its splinter groups with the help of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs), its continued presence in Afghanistan with impunity, and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan pose a persistent threat to our security and stability.
The Foreign Office Spokesperson said that Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, without any discrimination is unwavering and unambiguous.
Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that Pakistan has continued to emphasize the need for meaningful engagement with the Afghan side for addressing security and terrorism issues through effective use of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).
The Spokesperson said that Pakistan has been making serious and sincere efforts for facilitating the intra-Afghan peace process for an inclusive political settlement.
“We hope that Afghans would seize this opportunity for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Chaudhri said.
