Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir has expressed concern over the sanctuaries available for terrorist groups in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan will spare no effort to dismantle terrorist networks and protect its citizens at all costs.
According to the Pakistani newspaper, DAWN, during a meeting with tribal elders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, Munir said that with the unflinching resolve of its nation, Pakistan is successfully countering terrorism to enable a stable and peaceful environment for socioeconomic development in the region.
He further stressed that the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist incidents in Pakistan undermines regional peace and stability.
Last week, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that citizens of Afghanistan were involved in a July 13 attack on the Pakistan Army’s Zhob Garrison in Northern Balochistan that killed 12 Pakistani soldiers.
According to the newspaper, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tribal elders assured Munir that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its ideology will “never be acceptable to any tribe and they will continue to stand with the state during the thick and thin.”
The Pakistan Army Chief’s remarks come a day after the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a decree declaring cross-border attacks as “haram” (forbidden) and forbade Taliban fighters from carrying out attacks outside Afghanistan.
Terrorist attacks have surged across Pakistan in recent years, targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians. Pakistan has blamed the Taliban for the escalating terror-related insecurity in Pakistan, mainly for harboring the TTP.
