Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid shake hands following the signing of a ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha on October 19. Photo: Reuters
ISLAMABAD:
Declaring that the Afghan Taliban were not the “darling of Pakistan”, the chief military spokesperson has warned that any cross-border attack from Afghanistan will effectively end the existing ceasefire, adding that such aggression would be met with a “swift and strong response.”
In an informal interaction with journalists in Rawalpindi on Monday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan had resulted in the deaths of 206 Afghan Taliban soldiers and 110 members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He said Pakistan has always fought against terrorism and will continue to do so, reiterating that Islamabad will never hold talks with any terrorist outfit.
“We have engaged with the Afghan Taliban regime, but we will not negotiate with any terrorist group,” he stated.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed that “security is not achieved through requests or appeasement”. He said Pakistan reserved the right to defend itself and would respond forcefully to any attack.
According to him, the Afghan Taliban had earlier requested Qatar and Turkey to mediate between the two sides. During these interactions, Pakistan presented “irrefutable evidence” of terrorist attacks and infiltration originating from Afghan soil.
“We told Afghanistan that it must either take action against these militants or hand them over to us so that we can bring them to justice.”
He lamented that the Doha Agreementwhich laid out commitments by the Afghan Taliban was not being implemented, questioning how long Afghanistan would continue under an interim setup. The spokesperson also criticised the Taliban’s ideology, saying that women were still being denied access to education.
The DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan’s agenda with Afghanistan is singular: the Afghan soil must not be used for attacks against Pakistan. “Pakistan’s only concern is that its borders and people remain safe.”
He underscored that Afghanistan’s conditions or demands hold no meaning for Pakistan when it comes to its national security. “The elimination of terrorism is non-negotiable,” he stressed.
He linked terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa directly with the narco-economy, revealing that around 12,000 acres of land in the Tirah Valley were under poppy cultivation.
“Each acre yields a profit between Rs1.8 million and Rs3.2 million,” he said, adding that local politicians and influential figures were complicit in this illicit trade.
“The Afghan Taliban protect these activities because the poppy is transported to Afghanistan, where it is processed into ice and other narcotics,” he said.
He said military operations in the Tirah Valley had destroyed poppy crops through coordinated efforts involving drones, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), and the Frontier Corps (FC).
According to the DG ISPR, 192 security personnel were martyred in operations in Tirah during the past year. He alleged that political leaders, drug cartels, the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP were jointly sustaining this criminal network.
“This unholy nexus between the drug mafia and terrorist groups is one of the main obstacles to eliminating crime and militancy in the region,” he noted.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added that non-custom paid vehicles and the smuggling of Iranian oil were also sources of terrorist financing.
When asked about his criticism of “local politicians,” he did not deny suggestions that his comments referred to K-P Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, but he clarified that he recognized Afridi as the province’s legitimate chief minister.
The DG ISPR urged politicians not to politicize counterterrorism operations.
“Politicians may differ on other issues, but terrorism should not be politicized,” he said, noting that 62,113 operations were conducted across Pakistan this year, with the majority in Balochistan, resulting in the martyrdom of 582 soldiers and the killing of 1,667 terrorists belonging to the TTP.
He said madrasas in Pakistan had increased from 48,000 in 2014 to over 100,000, and many were being monitored for potential misuse.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed that the military wanted to stay out of politics. “The army does not want to get entangled in political affairs. It should be kept away from politics,” he said.
Warning to India
In a strong message to New Delhi, he said that India was preparing another false-flag operation in the deep sea. “India may do whatever it wantson land, in the air, or at seabut it must know that Pakistan’s response this time will be more severe than before.”
He added that Pakistan’s response in Afghanistan has been swift, and any external aggression would be dealt with decisively.
Gaza deployment and foreign policy
Regarding the possibility of deploying Pakistani peacekeeping forces to Gaza, the DG ISPR clarified that the issue did not fall within the military’s jurisdiction.
“This matter concerns the government. Any decision to send forces to Gaza will be made by the government and the parliament,” he said.
He emphasized that Pakistan is a sovereign state that makes its own policy decisions and that the army stands fully prepared to protect the country’s borders and people. He also denied any understanding between Pakistan and the US regarding the use of drones in Afghanistan.
