ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Amid a surge in terror incidents, which Pakistan blames on the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership hiding in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday hinted at the possibility of cross-border strikes to eliminate militant hideouts in the neighbouring country.
The defence minister’s statement came on the same day as Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s warning about the critical security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The JUI-F chief said that things had reached a point where even the police could not go out at night due to the presence of armed men.
In an interview with Voice of America, the defence minister 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 PTI government for bringing these militants 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’, he said parliament would be taken on board in this regard and the concerns of political parties would also be addressed. The minister also blamed civilians for not being able to build on the successes of operations conducted by the army in the past.
In separate remarks to Geo News, 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”.
“All traffic from Afghanistan will only be allowed entry into Pakistan with a valid passport and visa,” he said.
