The remarks come amid rising tensions between the neighbouring countries and fresh attacks by Pakistani forces.
Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that his country will not hesitate to attack territory in neighbouring Afghanistan amid rising tensions between the two countries over security concerns.
Asked whether Pakistan would consider a cross-border strike to neutralise the perpetrators, Asif said in an interview: “If the need arises, nothing is more important than Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
On the legality of possible cross-border attacks, Asif maintained that Pakistan must prioritise its own interests. “It is also a violation of international norms that Afghan territory is being used to export terrorism and provide a safe haven for perpetrators, protecting them from the local population,” he added.
In an interview on Thursday, he also ruled out any prospect of dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban Movement (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, a militant group that Pakistan accuses of launching attacks across the border.
“There is no possibility of dialogue with them. We need a common ground to talk to them, what to say,” Asif said.
The interview came in the wake of Pakistan’s recent announcement of a new military operation, dubbed “Azm-e-Istekam”, aimed at curbing escalating violence after November 2022, when the TTP unilaterally ends the ceasefire.
Founded in 2007 and ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is a militant group that advocates the end of the merger of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the implementation of a stricter interpretation of Islamic law in the region.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the militant group of launching attacks from Afghanistan, saying the country’s ruling Taliban, in power since August 2021, is providing them safe haven. The Taliban denies these allegations.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated significantly over the past two years, resulting in frequent border skirmishes and the closure of border crossings.
In March this year, Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghan territory in retaliation for an attack in the North Waziristan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that killed seven soldiers.
Afghanistan’s interim government has accused Pakistan of targeting Afghan homes and condemned its neighbour for its reckless behaviour.
But despite Asif’s comments highlighting tensions between the neighbours, Pakistan maintains it has no intention of closing its door to Afghanistan and remains committed to its neighbour’s future.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told parliament on June 27 that his country would send a delegation to UN-sponsored talks with the Afghan Taliban in Doha, Qatar’s capital, on June 30.
Dar, who is also the country’s deputy prime minister, added that the foreign ministry was planning to send officials to Kabul in the future.
“Afghanistan remains at the top of our agenda. To be clear, Afghanistan has not been neglected by the current administration,” he stressed.
But Riccardo Valle, a Venice-based researcher at Khorasan Diary, a nonpartisan platform run by journalists, said that while improving the country’s security situation was necessary, Operation Azm-e-Istekam could have a negative impact on relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban and may not achieve its goal of reducing violence.
“Pakistan has previously carried out air strikes, reportedly targeting camps of TTP militants. These actions have not only failed to weaken the TTP, but have also provoked a strong propaganda response by the TTP,” Vale told Al Jazeera.
Pakistan has seen a surge in violent incidents over the past 18 months, with data showing more than 700 attacks in 2023 alone, leaving nearly 1,000 people dead, mostly law enforcement personnel.
The government has sent numerous delegations to Kabul, including a high-level visit by Asif and Pakistan’s intelligence chief, Gen. Nadim Anjum, in February 2023, but mutual distrust between the two countries persists.
Valle noted that because of the close ties and common ideology between the TTP and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Afghan Taliban would suppress the Pakistani Taliban.
The researcher noted that the announcement of Operation Azm-e-Isteqam has already sparked fierce resistance from residents and political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Currently, Afghanistan has a government that maintains ties with the Pakistani Taliban. By launching this operation, Pakistan may further increase discontent against the government in the province and aid the TTP,” he said.
