MINISTER for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has rubbished allegations of Acting Afghanistan Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai who claimed last week that Daesh operates training centres in Pakistan, where militants are trained for disruptive activities in Afghanistan. In a statement, the Minister termed the allegations baseless and an attempt to shift the blame onto Pakistan.
The remarks of the Afghan Minister clearly indicate that instead of taking concrete steps to dislodge different terrorist outfits from the Afghan soil, attempts are being made to malign Pakistan, which has taken all-encompassing operations against various terrorist networks on its soil. This is widely acknowledged by the international community. As against this, a report of the United Nations revealed that more than two dozen terrorist groups, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda, and ISIS, are operating within Afghanistan. That is why, Khawaja Muhammad Asif has pointed out that Afghanistan remains a hub for terrorist recruitment and facilitation, especially for ISIS, which has continued its activities in the region throughout 2024. He called upon the Kabul regime to dismantle the fundamental structures of terrorism within the country and prevent Afghan soil from being used for attacks against other nations. The UN report also pointed out that Taliban have proved unable or unwilling to manage the threat from Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose attacks into Pakistan have intensified adding Taliban support to the terrorist outfit has increased. The ground situation also confirms the contents of this report as cross border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan have increased significantly but the Taliban are reluctant to take action against the group despite repeated assurances not to allow the Afghan soil to be used against any other country. This attitude is at the centre of the tension between the two countries and the situation is unlikely to change until Kabul takes verifiable action against the TTP.
