Pakistan wants elimination of TTP hideouts in Afghanistan: FO spox

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Monday that Pakistan wants the elimination of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan, ARY News reported.

While talking to the ARY News programme ‘Khabar’, the FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that it is premature to term Pakistan and Afghanistan talks unsuccessful. Baloch clarified that talks with the Afghan government are still underway in which Pakistan shared its reservations.

She said that Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan after finding evidence of September 6 incidents in border areas including Chitral. She added that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was temporarily closed and the situation is being closely monitored.

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The FO spokesperson said, “Pakistan’s security is our top priority and we want to stop cross-border terrorist attacks. We cannot say about the timeframe of reopening the Torkham border.”

Ms Baloch said that TTP leaders are residing in Afghanistan as per the UN report and several other countries. The ties between both countries will be improved after the elimination of TTP hideouts in Afghanistan.

She recalled the tripartite agreement between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan which assured that Afghan soil will not be used against Pakistan. “We are sure that Afghan officials are also willing to establish peace and all issues could be resolved through dialogues.”

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To a question, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch replied that Pakistan has historical ties with the Saudi Arabia and Middle East. She did not confirm the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s in Pakistan.

Earlier in the day, responding to the Afghanistan government’s statement on the closure of the Torkham border, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Kabul should respect its territorial integrity and ensure Afghan soil is not used to launch militant attacks in Pakistan.

In a statement, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the statement by the Afghan foreign ministry had “come as a surprise as the interim Afghan authorities know fully well the reasons for the temporary closure” of the border.

Pakistan on Monday said that for the last several decades, it had facilitated Afghan transit trade and would continue to do so, however, it could not allow the misuse of the agreement.

The FO spokesperson said that Pakistan could not accept the construction of any structures by the interim Afghan government inside its territory since those violated its sovereignty.

“On the 6th of September, instead of a peaceful resolution, Afghan troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, targeting Pakistan military posts, damaging the infrastructure at the Torkham Border Terminal, and putting the lives of both Pakistani and Afghan civilians at risk, when they were stopped from erecting such unlawful structures,” she commented.

She said that such unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Pakistani border posts could not be justified under any circumstances.