File photo of Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday said it has yet to confirm the existence or effectiveness of any action by the Afghanistan government against fighters of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), adding Islamabad expects Afghan authorities to take decisive action against all terrorist groups.
Responding to a question on claims from Kabul it has arrested 40 TTP fighters, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly press briefing that she could not confirm this development. “We of course expect from the Afghan authorities to take effective action against terrorist groups, especially TTP, and we hope that any meaningful action will be reflected on ground with reduction of terrorist incidents sponsored by individuals who enjoy sanctuaries inside Afghanistan,” she added.
To another question on reports of the Afghan Taliban desiring Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to mediate between Kabul and Islamabad, she said Pakistan was unaware of any such initiative. She also made clear that Pakistan’s stance on talks with the TTP were very clear. “There are no talks taking place, and there are no talks on the agenda between the state of Pakistan and TTP,” she said, stressing Pakistan’s focus was solely on action Afghan authorities must take against TTP elements to ensure the terror threat against Pakistan from Afghan soil is eliminated.
Baloch also addressed Washington’s claims that it had not left behind any weaponry in Afghanistan in 2021. “Pakistan is deeply concerned about the possession and use of modern sophisticated arms and weapons by TTP, which is a listed organization, listed terrorist organization,” she said. “The threat that it poses requires collaborative action by the international community and collaborative strategies to neutralize this threat. We will continue to work towards this end,” she added.
During her briefing, the spokesperson also confirmed that Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi had issued 166 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visits to Sikh temples in Punjab and annual celebrations in Sindh. “Pakistan also issued visas to 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from India on the occasion of the 554th Birthday Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak this month to visit Pakistan from Nov. 25-Dec. 4,” she added. Overall, she said, 6,824 visas were issued to Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan this year.
Referring to the Indian Supreme Court’s validation of Delhi’s abrogation of held-Kashmir’s special constitutional status, Baloch said interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani had written to the leaders of the U.N., Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union to apprise them of its illegality. “In these letters, the foreign minister has underscored that under international law, domestic legislation and judicial verdicts cannot over-ride UNSC resolutions and change the status of an internationally-recognized disputed territory,” she said, adding Jilani had called on the U.N. Security Council to ensure full implementation of its resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The spokesperson said Pakistan also remained “deeply concerned” over the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza. “We strongly condemn Israel’s ongoing war on hospitals and its barbarous bulldozing of tents in the courtyard and vicinity of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza that crushed to death numerous Palestinians including women, children and wounded patients under treatment,” she said, describing such crimes against humanity as “a haunting stain on the conscience of humanity.”
Stressing that Israel should be held accountable for its actions, she reiterated that Pakistan firmly believes the only just solution to the Palestinian question is the creation of an independent, viable, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State along pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds-Al-Sharif as its capital.