Islamabad, Oct 31 (IANS) Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday said that the country’s ties with Afghanistan can never turn normal until Kabul stops giving support to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), local media reported.
Speaking to Geo News, Asif said that those providing shelter to TTP militants in Afghanistan must stop the terrorists’ infiltration into Pakistan. “Peaceful relations with our neighbour are only possible if all support for the TTP is completely ended,” adding that it is difficult to trust Afghanistan without firm assurances against cross-border attacks.
Asif accused the Taliban government for breaching the ceasefire agreement and claimed that Pakistan is responding in a befitting manner. He said that the next round of talks between the delegations from both sides is scheduled for November 6 in Istanbul.
Asif’s statement comes amid recent escalation of tensions after Pakistani forces carried out cross-border operations in Afghanistan. The latest round of talks between the delegations of the two countries in Turkey also ended on Monday without any outcome.
On October 29, Asif had issued a stern warning to Taliban, stating that they can test the resolve of Islamabad at their “own peril and doom”. He had mentioned that Pakistan does not even need to use “a fraction” of its full arsenal to “completely obliterate” the Taliban and push them back to the caves for hiding.
“We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom.
“Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora with their tails between the legs would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister wrote on X.
–IANS
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