Category: Afghanistan

The Pak visit had only one point agenda focusing on counter terrorism and presence of the TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan has presented “irrefutable evidence” to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan about the presence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror outfit’s hideouts and precise location of its leadership in the war-torn nation.

The evidence was shared during the visit of a high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to Kabul, The Express Tribune reported.

Contrary to the statement issued by the Afghan government, the visit had only one point agenda focusing on counter terrorism and presence of the TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil.

It was the first high-level visit from Pakistan since the change of government and particularly after the surge in TTP sponsored terrorist attacks.

There was a shift in Pakistan’s stance on the TTP after the recent spike in terrorist attacks with the country’s civil and military leadership no longer seeking talks with the terror outfit.

Against this backdrop, the Pakistani delegation not only shared what sources said “irrefutable evidence” about the presence of TTP leadership but sought decisive action with “no ifs and buts”, The Express Tribune reported.

What was significant during the visit was that the Pakistani side for the first time confronted the Afghan Taliban leadership with evidence that TTP leadership was freely moving in Afghanistan and importantly with the facilitation of the interim government.

The Afghan side gave a detailed briefing to the Pakistani side and conceded that terrorism was originating from the Afghan soil. The Pakistani delegation was presented with different options and solutions to deal with the problem.

However, the Pakistani side was not satisfied with the presentation and proposals to resolve the TTP issue.

Pakistan then shared evidence and “precise location” of TTP leadership in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban government could not deny the hard facts but failed to mention the same in its official handout, The Express Tribune reported.

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Taliban advised the people of Afghanistan to avoid travelling to the border crossing in eastern Nangarhar province…reports Asian Lite News

he Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has ordered the shut down of one of the country’s main trading and border crossing points with Pakistan, accusing Islam�abad of reneging on its commitments.

The Afghan Taliban commissioner for Torkham said the border point had been closed down for travel and transit trade, reports Dawn news.

“Pakistan has not abided by its commitments and so the gateway has been shut down on the directions of (our) leadership,” Taliban commissioner at Torkham Maulavi Mohammad Siddique tweeted.

He advised the people of Afghanistan to avoid travelling to the border crossing in eastern Nangarhar province.

However, the Taliban official did not specify the commitment Islamabad allegedly breached.

Some unconfirmed media reports suggested the Taliban were irked by an unannounced ban on travel of Afghan patients seeking treatment in Pakistan, Dawn reported.

There was no immediate official word from Foreign Office in Islamabad.

The Afghan Taliban appear unlikely to shift their strategic calculus on providing support to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, an analysis by the US Institute for Peace (USIP) said last week.

It furthered that much of the TTP’s political leadership and capability was based in Afghanistan and the outlawed faction was able to fundraise through extortion inside Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan, The Express Tribune reported.

It reiterated that the Afghan Taliban remain “very supportive” of the TTP and are providing the group with a permissive safe haven.

“The TTP also has a lot of popular support in Afghanistan, where both Taliban and non-Taliban constituencies get behind the TTP due to a fervent dislike for Pakistan. Some Taliban fighters are also joining the TTP, and there are reports of some recent bombers being Afghan.”

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The Foreign Minister also urged the international community to act “pre-actively” rather than reactively after the “nightmare scenario”…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that it would not take much time for terrorism to go to other places beyond Pakistan if the interim Afghanistan government doesn’t not demonstrate the “will and capacity” to take on militant groups operating from its territory, according to a media report.

Addressing the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman said the most important issue regarding Afghanistan in the region was the “security and terrorist threat emanating out” of the country, Dawn reported.

“The concern is that if we and the interim Afghan government don’t take these groups seriously and they don’t demonstrate the will and the capacity to take on terrorist groups, they will conduct terrorist activities in the region first � we are already witnessing an uptick in terrorist activity in Pakistan since the fall of Kabul � but it won’t be long before it reaches somewhere else,” Zardari said.

The Foreign Minister also urged the international community to act “pre-actively” rather than reactively after the “nightmare scenario”, Dawn reported.

“The key is to convince the interim government in Afghanistan with the international community’s consensus to take on terrorism within their borders and demonstrate the will to do so,” he added.

Zardari told the world leaders to find a way to build the capacity for the interim Afghan government to help it build a standing army, Dawn reported.

“They don’t have a standing army, nor a counter-terrorism force or even proper border security,” he said.

“In that situation, even if they have the will, they don’t have the capacity to deal with this [terrorist] threat which is a problem, first for the imminent neighbours and then for the international community.”

Zardari cited how “very little attention” was given to Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul and the ongoing Ukraine war.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan did not want to “invade Afghanistan and go in after them and repeat the mistakes of the past”, so the best scenario is for the respective law-enforcing institutions in Afghanistan to become functional, Dawn reported.

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The Spin Boldak-Chaman border between Afghanistan and Pakistan border is crossed by more than 20,000 people daily for trade, treatment and other purposes….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan’s military forces torture and harass Afghans who travel through the Spin Boldak-Chaman gate, according to Afghanistan-based news agency Pajhwok Afghan News.

The Spin Boldak-Chaman Gate also known as The Friendship Gate is located on the Durand Line (Pak-Afghan border). Passengers travelling to Pakistan say the Pakistani forces misbehave with them, keep them waiting for hours on different pretexts and extort them.

The Spin Boldak-Chaman border between Afghanistan and Pakistan border is crossed by more than 20,000 people daily for trade, treatment and other purposes.

Most of these travellers are residents of Chaman, Quetta and other areas on the other side of the Durand Line and Kandahar.

Muhammad Ismail, who just arrived from Chaman in Spin Boldak through the gate, said the Pakistani forces had once again started torturing and extorting people near the gate.

“Difficulties had never ended on this road, but sometimes the atrocities increase to the level where one feels hopeless. The Pakistanis harass people, insult them, delay them for hours, mercilessly beat them and force them into paying money,” Ismail told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Many people whose relatives live on both sides of the Durand Line also travel on the route.

A resident of Kandahar, Juma Khan, said he has relatives in Quetta and they often travelled on the route to visit each other. “But we are disheartened by the difficulties created by the Pakistani forces on the way.”

“We have friends in Quetta, and we want to visit each other, but we face so many hardships that we regret travelling on the Spin Boldak-Chaman road. Both countries should provide safe travel facilities for people on this road,” Khan said.

He said the travellers include women, children and sick people, but the Pakistani forces showed no mercy to them and often took money and other valuables from women.

According to Muhammad Akram, who carries passengers’ goods on the road, so many porters possess both Afghan and Pakistani identity cards but are still subjected to violence and extortion by the Pakistani forces.

Officials in Spin Boldak district, however, say there is no serious issue at the gate and people cross it normally.

Haji Mullah Agha Jan, the Spin Boldak district chief, told Pajhwok: “Whenever a problem has occurred at the gate, we have tried to solve it through dialogue. We will solve any problem through talks if it arises.”

Only those having Kandahar and Chaman ID cards are allowed to cross the gate. (ANI)

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