THE views expressed by Director-General, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, during his informal interaction with journalists on Monday aptly reflect Pakistan’s principled stand on issues linked to the country’s internal and external security.
Delivering a strong message ahead of the second round of Istanbul dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he firmly stated that Pakistan’s only and non-negotiable demand is an end to terrorism emanating from Afghan territory. He said there was evidence to indicate that India might stage a false flag operation via maritime route to propagate a lie about a major strike on Pakistan. The military spokesperson also clarified that the decision on Pakistan becoming a part of Gaza Peace Force would be taken by the government and parliament.
This newspaper has repeatedly been emphasizing that Pakistan was not making any unusual demand but wants concrete action to bring an end to terrorist attacks that have killed numerous people besides inflicting economic harm on the country. The demand of Pakistan is covered under international law and Afghanistan was bound to take action for misuse of its soil against other countries as has also been committed by the Taliban leadership in Doha peace accord facilitated by Pakistan, which resulted in the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, paving the way for installation of the Taliban Government. The remarks of the ISPR clearly show that this issue is a red line for Pakistan and there will not be usual normalization sans verifiable action against TTP elements. The gravity of the issue has also been underlined by the revelations made by the military spokesperson that the Taliban are settling TTP fighters in densely populated areas to provide them a protective shield. This together with the fact that the banned outfit has sworn allegiance to the Taliban’s emir speaks of a clear nexus between them and their designs against Pakistan. It may also be pointed out that about 60 per cent of the terrorists killed during infiltration attempts in the last three to four months were Afghan nationals. Islamabad, therefore, justifiably expects credible evidence of action including dismantling of hideouts, disruption of logistical networks and arrests of TTP leadership. The message is unambiguous: Pakistan desires peace and wants to resolve issues with the Afghan Taliban through dialogue but if talks fail, there are other options to deal with the situation. In the face of Pakistan’s precise targeting of the terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, Afghan and Indian media launched a malicious campaign alleging that Pakistan has a secret agreement with the United States allowing American drone operations in Afghanistan but Lt. General Ahmed Chaudhry rejected the allegation outrightly. In reference to the possibility of another aggression by India, he said Pakistan’s defence forces were on “high alert” and would deliver a “far stronger, more decisive and severe” response than in previous incidents if provoked. There is also an ongoing debate as to why the parliament has not been taken into confidence about the country’s participation in the Gaza peace process. As there are reports that Pakistan is mulling a proposal to contribute its troops for maintenance of peace and security in Gaza, the spokesperson clarified that any decision to do so will be made by the government and the parliament. On the face of it, there is no harm if troops are contributed for the peacekeeping force if the demand of the Muslim bloc as enunciated in the just-concluded moot in Istanbul is upheld. Turkiye and six key Muslim allies (including Pakistan) have declared that Gaza’s future must remain in Palestinian hands, rejecting any external system of tutelage and calling for an internationally supported framework for peace, security and reconstruction.
