Khawaja Asif warns of strikes on terror hideouts inside Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has assured coming general elections as transparent, in an interview with the US media.

“I could say with 100 percent confidence that the next general elections will be free and fair,” Khawaja Asif told the Voice of America in an interview.

“There will be no intervention in the opinion and decision of the voters,” he added.

Replying a question on TTP, defence minister said that Taliban rulers of Afghanistan also want to disentangle with the TTP, but this will take time.

Khawaja Asif has warned the Afghan Taliban of strikes on terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan if needed. “We will have to hit them because we cannot tolerate this situation for long.”

Asif said in the interview that he reminded the Taliban administration during his visit to Kabul last month “to live up to cross-border security commitments with Islamabad and stop terrorists from using Afghan soil to plan and carry out attacks on Pakistan” or “we will take action.”

Asif said they responded well, really well. “Off course they want to disentangle with TTP, but this will take time.

Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan bearing the brunt of a wrong decision to become part of the war against terrorism. Asif termed it inconsequential to talk to Washington over the matter.

The interviewer asked whether Islamabad needed the help of the US in fighting terrorism in Pakistan. “I do not see any logic in that,” Pakistan’s defence minister said.

“Everyone knows, what they did during their 16 years’ stay in Afghanistan,” Khawaja Asif said. “My personal view is that we can take care of this menace ourselves as we fought it in the past,” he added.