A surge in terrorist activities has forced the Government of Pakistan to convey a firm message to Kabul to rein in the elements that use its soil for carrying out terrorist and subversive activities within Pakistan. During his visit to Peshawar on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the interim government of Afghan Taliban to undertake concrete measures towards denying its soil to be used for transnational terrorism. In a similar tune, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari indicated that Pakistan might, as a last resort, take action inside Afghanistan to deal with the terrorist threat emanating from the neighbouring country.
Pakistan forcefully presented the case of Afghan people before the world community when the country was under foreign occupation and Islamabad pursued this policy at the risk of tension with Washington. In line with this policy, Pakistan extended whole-hearted cooperation and support to all peace initiatives, opposed a military solution and facilitated the Doha dialogue that ultimately led to withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and establishment of the Taliban Government. Pakistan rightly expected that the new Afghan Government would move swiftly and effectively against remnants of terrorism that moved to the neighbouring country in the face of a universally acknowledged and deftly executed multi-pronged operation against terrorism and extremism. However, the attitude and response of the Afghan Government to repeated requests from Pakistan to take firm action against these elements shows Kabul treats them as guests and assets and not as perpetrators of crimes against people of Pakistan. We have been emphasizing in these columns that Pakistan, faced with a multitudes of economic and financial challenges, has an abiding interest to promote internal and regional peace and concrete action against trouble-makers would brighten prospects of economic growth and prosperity not only in Pakistan and Afghanistan but also in the entire region as peaceful environment would give much required push to implementation of trans-national projects. We hope Afghanistan would listen to the repeated calls from Islamabad and initiate demonstrable action against those sponsoring and carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.
