The Pakistan ambassador to Kabul expressed concerns over the presence of foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan and warned that their presence threatens Pakistan and the region.
Ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan told TOLOnews’ Hamid Bahram that al-Qaeda and Daesh pose a threat.
“Terrorist organizations present in Afghanistan have been posing threats to the security of Afghanistan as well as to other countries, including Pakistan. Daesh is there, remnants of al-Qaeda are maybe there. There are other elements like TTP, Baluch insurgents… and many other groups,” Ahmad Khan said.
He also talked about the terrorist threats along the Durand Line.
Ahmad Khan said that Islamabad seeks to expand relations with Kabul.
“The fence was erected or installed in the previous years when the cross-border terrorism was at its highest and one of the ways the Pakistani state, Pakistani government, thought of dealing with this issue… was to erect a fence,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate didn’t comment, however, it has repeatedly denied the presence of foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan and pledged that the Afghan soil will not be used against anyone.
The Pakistan ambassador said that Islamabad has been trying to improve trade, social, economic and political ties with Kabul.
Pakistan itself is accused of providing safe havens for terrorist groups as the country, as Pakistan was placed on the gray list by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) in June 2018.
Sayed Haroon Hashimi, a political analyst, gives his opinion: “Considering the current difficult condition, Afghanistan should have good political, economic, and social relations with the neighbors, particularly Pakistan.”
The tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have recently risen over the issue of the Durand Line. Pakistan officials have emphasized the need to complete the fencing along the Durand Line, and the Islamic Emirate said that it will not allow any more fencing on the line.—Tolonews
