THERE were two important developments vis-à-vis the ongoing spate of terrorism in Pakistan – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the Taliban Government to rein in terrorist outfits using Afghan soil for anti-Pakistan activities and indepth negotiations that a US Congressional delegation held with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir where members of the delegations praised the country’s role in the fight against terror, underscore respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty and committed to advancing broad-based cooperation in security, trade, investment and economic development.
The message that the Prime Minister delivered to Afghanistan was quite clear and unambiguous: Attitude and response of Afghanistan will determine the fate of otherwise two brotherly and neighbouring countries.
Terrorism is a surely threat not only to the two countries but also the entire region and beyond and this fact has repeatedly been highlighted by comprehensive reports by the United Nations as well as intelligence community of the United States, which has renewed stakes in security environment of Afghanistan as it has regained control of the Bagram airbase.
Afghanistan is a war-torn country and no programme aimed at rehabilitation and stirring economic activities could succeed without sustained peace and security as execution of all projects envisaging regional connectivity are stalled for decades.
Similarly, Pakistan is making frantic efforts to tackle its economic challenges but cross-border terrorism is posing substantial threats to such efforts and plans.
It was in this backdrop that Pakistan has repeatedly taken up the issue of terrorism by Afghanistan-based outfits with the Taliban Government but so far Islamabad’s appeal for cooperation has not been reciprocated.
Under the Doha Agreement, which was facilitated by Pakistan and paved the way for withdrawal of all foreign forces from the neighbouring country, the Taliban authorities committed not to allowimg the use of Afghan soil for any other country.
The Prime Minister has reminded Kabul to fulfill its obligations as per commitments given in the Doha Accord as Afghan soil is openly being used against Pakistan and its interests.
In a related development, the US Congressional delegation commended Pakistan defence forces for their pivotal role in combating terrorism and also acknowledged Pakistan’s enduring contribution to regional peace and stability.
The Army Chief reiterated Pakistan’s desire to further deepen and diversify its longstanding partnership with the US in a manner that is mutually beneficial and respectful of each other’s national interests.
All this augurs well for resumption of deeper cooperation to rein in terrorist groups in Afghanistan that pose grave threat to the region and beyond.
Acknowledgement of Pakistan’s positive contribution in counter-terrorism is not limited to the congressmen as similar appreciation earlier came from President Donald Trump as well as other important members of his administration.
However, there is an urgent need to move beyond rhetoric and forge practical cooperation to give meaningful direction to the multi-dimensional campaign undertaken by Pakistan to root out the menace of terrorism and extremism.
This assumes greater importance as pointed out by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who asserted that Pakistan stood as a “wall between terrorism and the rest of the world”.
There is no doubt our defence forces are committed to eliminating the threat but they face challenges because of resource constraints and lack of sophisticated technology as well as limitations in intelligence gathering.
It was in this context that the Interior Minister emphasized that intelligence and technology-sharing in the domain of counterterrorism was of utmost importance.
Pakistan-US counterterrorism dialogue is scheduled to take place in Islamabad in June 2025 and hopefully the Pakistan side will make a convincing case for resumption of concrete cooperation in the war against terror as terrorism is not just a challenge for Pakistan but also for regional and global security and peace.
