In an apparent warning to the Taliban interim government of Afghanistan for providing shelter to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the National Security Committee (NSC), on Monday, declared that “no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people”.
The NSC which met for its second session, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by relevant federal cabinet members, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, all Services Chiefs, and heads of intelligence services, was also apprised of the security situation of the country with a particular focus on recent terrorist incidents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to a statement of the PM House issued after the meeting.
“The forum concluded that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people,” said the statement in an apparent warning to the Afghan interim government without naming it.
It further stated that the NSC reiterated its resolve to have zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan and reaffirmed its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to violence. “This will be dealt with full force of the state. Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of Pakistan’s territory,” the NSC further resolved.
The statement comes following the Afghan interim government reacted strongly to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s earlier remarks in which he had stated that Pakistan may target the TTP militants in Afghanistan “if authorities in Kabul did not take any action against them”.
“The Ministry of National Defence, considers as provocative and baseless, (the) recent speeches of the Pakistani interior minister about the presence of TTP in Afghanistan and their possible attack inside Afghanistan. It damages the good relations between the two neighbouring and brotherly countries with such claims by Pakistani officials despite the existence of evidence indicating that the TTP centres are inside Pakistan. We request that any concerns and problems should be resolved through understanding,” the Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
