Says further provocations by Taliban regime to be met with a measured, decisive response
Police officers stand guard at the main entry gate of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Photo: File
The Foreign Office (FO) urged the international community on Friday to play its role in sending a clear message to the Taliban regime that it must not continue to renege on its obligation to take concrete and verifiable action against terrorist outfits and end its support for them.
Pakistani forces targeted key military installations of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia through effective airstrikes, early on Friday. The military spokesperson said the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ against the Afghan Taliban was producing the desired results and continued successfully.
He said Pakistan had “effectively repulsed” Afghan Taliban insurgents at 53 locations along the border, inflicting heavy losses while exercising restraint to avoid civilian harm.
In a statement issued on the matter, the FO said: “We hope that the international community will also play its role in sending a clear message to the Taliban regime that it must not continue to renege on its obligation to take concrete and verifiable action against these terrorist outfits and end its support for them.
“Pakistan reserves the right to take all appropriate actions in its self-defence and to protect its citizens in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.”
It said defence forces had carried out “precise operations” that inflicted heavy losses on terrorist outfits and targeted their logistical support bases in Afghanistan in response to “repeated terrorist attacks by Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan emanating from Afghan soil, as well as the latest unwarranted and provocative actions” by the Taliban regime on Thursday night.
The FO said the actions were undertaken in exercise of the country’s right to self-defence and to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, “as well as that of the wider region and beyond”.
“Any further provocations by the Taliban regime, or attempts by any terrorist group to undermine the security and welfare of the people of Pakistan, will be met with a measured, decisive and befitting response,” the FO warned.
It said Pakistan desired peace and stability in the region and had remained patiently engaged in political and diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing the “menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil”.
However, the FO said it was “unfortunate that Pakistan’s numerous goodwill gestures and highly responsible approach were misconstrued, resulting in increased terrorist attacks from Afghan soil, with the active support and backing of the Taliban regime, as well as India.
“Pakistan reiterates its strong resolve and determination to uproot the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and calls upon the Afghan regime to end the impunity with which Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan continue to operate from Afghan soil.”
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The federal government has been consistently raising its voice on international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan.
Following a series of suicide bombings, Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes on seven terrorist camps along the Afghan border early on Sunday morning.
Security sources said Pakistan conducted a large intelligence-based aerial operation in eastern Afghanistan targeting seven key hideouts, killing several terrorists, including Taliban commander Akhtar Muhammad.
According to sources, jet aircraft struck terrorist shelters in Bermal district of Paktika, where loud explosions were heard across the area. Facilities used by terrorists were reported heavily damaged.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber struck the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing 36 people and injuring around 169 others. The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
Immediately following the blast, raids were conducted in Nowshera and Peshawar, resulting in the arrest of four facilitators. The Daesh-linked mastermind, an Afghan national, was also captured. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the network behind the blast was trained in Afghanistan and that authorities had gathered intelligence on the suspects prior to the attack.
In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.
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The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.
Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.
Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in the TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.
More recently, a UNSC report said that attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan have increased, endorsing Islamabad’s long-running complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border.
The 37th report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, not only endorsed Islamabad’s stance that Afghanistan had become a sanctuary for militants who used its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, but also came at a time when the country is facing a renewed spate of violence.
