Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Turkey in Doha on October 19. Photo: Reuters
ISLAMABAD:
The top military spokesman has declared that the Afghan Taliban were not “Pakistan’s darlings,” warning that any cross-border attack from Afghanistan would effectively end the existing ceasefire, adding that such aggression would be met with a “swift and strong response.”
In an informal interaction with reporters in Rawalpindi on Monday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan had resulted in the death of 206 Afghan Taliban soldiers and 110 members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He said that Pakistan has always fought terrorism and will continue to do so and reiterated 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 said.
Lieutenant General Chaudhry emphasized that “security is not achieved through requests or appeasement”. He said Pakistan reserves the right to defend itself and will respond strongly to any attack.
According to him, the Afghan Taliban had previously 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 agreement – which set out commitments from the Afghan Taliban was not implemented, and questioned how long Afghanistan would continue under an interim setup. The spokesman also criticized the Taliban’s ideology, saying women were still denied access to education.
DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan’s agenda with Afghanistan is unique: Afghan soil must not be used for attacks against Pakistan. “Pakistan’s only concern is that its borders and people remain secure.”
He stressed that Afghanistan’s conditions or demands have no bearing on Pakistan when it comes to its national security. “The elimination of terrorism is not negotiable,” he stressed.
He directly linked terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the drug economy and revealed that around 12,000 hectares of land in the Tirah Valley was under poppy cultivation.
“Each hectare yields a profit between Rs1.8 million and Rs3.2 million,” he said, adding that local politicians and influential people were complicit in this illegal 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 a coordinated effort involving drones, Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and Frontier Corps (FC).
According to DG ISPR, 192 security personnel were martyred during operations in Tirah during the past year. He claimed that political leaders, drug cartels, the Afghan Taliban and the TTP jointly supported 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-user paid vehicles and smuggling of Iranian oil were also sources of terrorist financing.
When asked about his criticism of “local politicians”, he did not reject suggestions that his comments referred to KP Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, but clarified that he recognized Afridi as the province’s legitimate chief minister.
DG ISPR urged politicians not to politicize counter-terrorism operations.
“Politicians may disagree 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 abuse.
Lieutenant General Chaudhry emphasized 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 India was preparing another false flag operation in the deep sea. “India can do whatever it wants – on land, in the air or at sea – but 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 will be dealt with decisively.
Gaza deployment and foreign policy
Regarding the possibility of deploying Pakistani peacekeepers to Gaza, DG ISPR clarified that the matter does not fall under the military’s jurisdiction.
“This matter concerns the government. Any decision to send forces to Gaza will be made by the government and parliament,” he said.
He emphasized that Pakistan is a sovereign state that takes its own political decisions and that the army is fully prepared to protect its borders and people. He also denied any understanding between Pakistan and the US regarding the use of drones in Afghanistan.
