Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif on July 15 claimed that terrorists involved in bloodshed in his country were getting refuge in neighbouring Afghanistan and that Pakistan would no longer tolerate this.
“Afghanistan is not fulfilling the right to be a neighbour and brother country and is not abiding by the Doha agreement. 50/60 lakh Afghans have 40/50 years of asylum in Pakistan with all rights," Mr. Asif said.
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“On the contrary, the terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis can find refuge on Afghan soil. This situation cannot continue any longer. Pakistan will use all its resources to protect its land and citizens,” the Minister said.
The statement comes a day after the Pakistan Army warned Kabul to stop militants from using its soil for attacks in Pakistan.
Tempers are running high in Pakistan after 12 soldiers were killed in two separate terrorist incidents in Balochistan on July 13, the highest single-day toll of troops in the province.
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A group of Pakistani Taliban militants accepted responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan accused the Taliban government in Kabul of tolerating the presence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants in the country.
TTP militants, who are fighting for the law of Sharia across Pakistan, often conduct attacks in the country.
Defence Minister Asif in another tweet said that individuals who attended the assembly during the Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) government and provided briefings to the members, emphasising the advantages of bringing the TTP from Afghanistan to Pakistan, should also communicate with the families of those killed daily.
Mr. Asif also said that those individuals were the ones who “introduced Imran Khan in 2018”, leading to the unfortunate events of May 9 this year when supporters of Khan's PTI party attacked military buildings.
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“For the subsequent four years, they were responsible for causing immense destruction to our beloved country in every possible aspect,” he said referring to the PTI rule after the 2018 elections.
Pakistan has seen a significant increase in TTP attacks since the Afghan Taliban came to power in 2021.
Published - July 15, 2023 08:53 pm IST
