TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jun 28, 2024
NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tensions with the Taliban rulers in Kabul and under increasing pressure from China, the Pakistan government has approved a new military campaign named Azm-e-Istehkam, meaning "Resolve for Stability", to root out domestic terror threats and stem the activities of fighters crossing over from Afghanistan.
Speaking about the new initiative, defence minister Khawaja Asif recently told the Voice of America that Pakistan was even willing to go as far as carrying out cross-border strikes to eliminate militant hideouts in Afghanistan -- a move that could potentially trigger a retaliatory move from the Taliban regime.
Under pressure from China
There has been a spike in terror-related incidents in Pakistan ever since the Taliban stormed back to power in Kabul in August 2021 after the US suddenly withdrew from the war-torn country.
Pakistan has seen nearly 1,000 casualties from almost 700 incidents of violence in 2023.
Many of the incidents have centered around Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan areas.
Terror incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been of particular concern to the Pakistan government as they have resulted in the deaths of many Chinese citizens working on projects related to Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
Attacks targeting Chinese installations and personnel have highlighted the stakes for Pakistan's key ally, China, which has invested $62 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
China has come out strongly against the attacks and has sternly warned Islamabad that it must take strict and effective action or it would re-evaluate its investments and projects in the country.
Kabul harbouring TTP leaders, claims Pakistan
Pakistan has blamed the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for majority of the attacks and has repeatedly asserted that the terrorist organisation's leaders are being given a safe haven in the border areas of Afghanistan.
The defence minister's strong statement came on the day JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman warned about the critical security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Rehman has claimed that things have reached a point where even the police could not go out at night due to the presence of armed men. The TTP ended its ceasefire with Pakistan in November 2022.
In an interview with Voice of America, Asif said Islamabad could strike terror havens in Afghanistan and it would not be against international law since Kabul had been "exporting" terrorism to Pakistan and the "exporters" were being harboured there.
He said though the TTP was operating from the neighbouring country, its cadre, about a few thousand in number, "are operating from within the country" and blamed the previous Imran Khan-led PTI government for bringing militancy back.
The minister also ruled out any chances of dialogue with the banned outfit, saying that there was no common ground.
Speaking about 'Azm-i-Istehkam', Asif said parliament would be taken on board in this regard and the concerns of political parties would also be addressed.
Dawn reported that in separate remarks to local news channels, the minister said
Islamabad would "stringently enforce international laws at its borders with Afghanistan" to restrict the movement of smuggled goods.
The media outlet reported him as saying that the decision would also "thwart the infiltration of terrorists".
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