IT should be a matter of concern for the authorities concerned that there was no letup in Afghan-origin terrorism despite assumption of power by the Taliban there, who have made repeated commitments not to allow their soil to be used for terrorism against other countries.
This is evident from the fact that Counter-Terrorism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) busted five major groups of Daesh during operations in Peshawar and Bannu regions.
According to Deputy Inspector General of CTD, Javed Iqbal Wazir, over 90 per cent of the terrorist groups are planning attacks and operating from across the border of Afghanistan.
The agenda of these groups is quite obvious – destabilize Pakistan – as they mainly target CPEC projects, key installations, polio teams and economic activity.
The ground situation substantiates claims of Pakistan defence forces that they carried out a successful all-round campaign against terror as peaceful conditions prevail in all the areas that were previously considered as dangerous due to activities of various groups.
The sustained campaign forced them to seek refuge in neighbouring Afghanistan and non-cooperative attitude of the previous Afghan Government and occupation forces hampered further progress on counter-terrorism front.
The activities of the groups operating from Afghanistan should serve as a food for thought for the Taliban as destabilization of Pakistan with the objective of harming its economic interests and development will have serious implications for Afghanistan as well.
Border fencing is part of the strategy being implemented by Pakistan to stop illegal crossings and smuggling of goods but strangely enough the Taliban too, like their predecessors, seem to be opposed to the idea, which casts doubt on their commitment to durable solution of the twin-menaces of terrorism and smuggling.
The demarcation issue, if it surfaces anywhere, can be discussed and sorted out through bilateral negotiations but there must not be any compromise on the fencing plan to safeguard Pakistan’s security and economic interests.
Similarly, as the Taliban are in effective control of the entire country, there should be no unnecessary delay in addressing concern about the presence of anti-Pakistan elements on the soil of Afghanistan.
