Pakistan’s army chief has claimed that a majority of militants infiltrating Pakistan from Afghanistan are Afghan citizens.
Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff, said around 70% of members of militant groups crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan are Afghan nationals, according to local media.
As reported by Express Tribune, Gen Munir made the remarks earlier at a National Ulema Conference in Islamabad. Details of his speech were made public on Sunday (December 21).
He alleged that militant attacks inside Pakistan are carried out with the support of the Afghan Taliban and reiterated his claim that roughly 70% of militants infiltrating from Afghanistan are Afghan citizens.
Gen Munir said the Afghan Taliban must choose between supporting the Pakistani Taliban and maintaining relations with the Pakistani state.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of sheltering Pakistani militant groups, including Therik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and allowing them to use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban have denied these allegations.
However, the United Nations has confirmed in its reports the presence of armed groups in Afghanistan.
A recent report by the UN Security Council also pointed to internal divisions within the Taliban leadership over the TTP. According to the report, some senior Taliban figures see the group as harmful to relations with Pakistan, while others continue to support it.
In recent months, tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have escalated into border clashes. These confrontations ended following mediation by Qatar, but talks between the two sides have so far failed to produce concrete results.
Pakistan has insisted that the Taliban provide written guarantees to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to carry out attacks across the border.
