Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday dominated out talks with any terrorist or militant group.
Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist assaults throughout the nation, believed to have been deliberate and directed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leaders based mostly in Afghanistan. (Photo: Reuters)
By Press Trust of India: Pakistan on Thursday dominated out talks with any terrorist or militant group, a day after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threatened to focus on the highest leaders of the 2 main political events within the ruling coalition.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the lately held assembly of the National Security Committee (NSC), the very best discussion board for coordination on safety points, determined that there might be “no talks with any terrorist or militant group”, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist assaults throughout the nation, believed to have been deliberate and directed by the TTP leaders based mostly in Afghanistan, the newspaper reported. The TTP, which has ideological linkages with the Afghan Taliban, executed round greater than 100 assaults final yr, most of which occurred after August when the group’s peace talks with the Pakistan authorities started to falter. The ceasefire was formally ended on November 28 by the TTP.
During a press convention right here, the Interior Minister was requested in regards to the express risk issued by the TTP to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – the 2 main events of the ruling coalition for “openly declaring war against the TTP to appease America”.
The TTP assertion pointedly talked about PPP Chairman Bilawal and Prime Minister Sharif by identify, in addition to their respective events, and warned non secular events in opposition to “actions” against it.
On Wednesday, the interior minister had stated that efforts were underway to bring the outlawed TTP to the negotiation table but the group would first have to set aside arms and surrender before the law and the Constitution. However, during Thursday’s press conference, Sanaullah said that the NSC had clearly resolved that there would be “no talks with any terrorist or militant group”.
He further said that the NSC had concluded that talks, if needed, should be carried out with the Afghan government so that the importance of the Doha agreement, wherein the country had vowed to not allow its soil to be used against others, could be stressed. “If that is implemented, then the issue of terrorism in Pakistan and other countries will be solved, and Pakistan will be safe if Afghanistan honours its promise.”
The minister was also asked about the Afghan government’s announcement that a network of ISIS militants involved in the attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul had been killed in an operation. He said that Pakistan had received information but until it was verified by the interior ministry, it would be treated as mere information.
“If it is so, then we welcome it and it is their responsibility to provide security to officials in Afghanistan.” The NSC, in two separate rounds of meetings since last Friday, decided to show “zero-tolerance” towards militant groups.
In November, the TTP called off an indefinite ceasefire agreed with the government in June and ordered its militants to carry out attacks on the security forces. The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007.
Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan. Pakistan had hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to power would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP operatives but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining ties with Islamabad.
The TTP has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. In 2012, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai was attacked by TTP. She suffered bullet injuries and was admitted to the Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar and then taken to London for further treatment. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Yousafzai was a “Western-minded lady”.
In 2014, the Pakistani Taliban stormed the Army Public School (APS) within the northwestern metropolis of Peshawar, killing at the least 150 individuals, together with 131 college students. The assault despatched shockwaves internationally, and was broadly condemned.
Posted By:
Manisha Pandey
Published On:
Jan 6, 2023
