ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that Islamabad had presented ‘concrete evidence’ of attacks from Afghan soil to Kabul in recent talks.
He was responding to concerns expressed by opposition lawmakers in the Senate of Pakistan.
FM Dar said that recent dialogues with the interim Afghan government, held in Türkiye and Qatar, focused on engaging Afghan authorities to curb cross-border terrorism.
He said that groups such as Fitna al-Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and the Balochistan Liberation Army were operating from Afghan soil and conducting terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Combating terrorism
The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism, urging the interim Afghan government to ensure its territory is not used for hostile activities against Pakistan.
Speaking in the Senate, he said that incidents of terrorism have increased even more than in 2012.
Agreements made with Afghan Taliban previously, too
“[Yesterday] Mr Muttaqi called us six times. I told him we want only one thing from you: that your soil should not be used against Pakistan,” said the foreign minister.
“[I told him that] the government has taken a decision, and we will fight [terrorism] to the last breath.”
Dar said that till 2018, because of Pakistan's security forces' operations, terrorist attacks in the country had gone down considerably.
He said that after the Afghan Taliban came to power, for four years, there were no formal engagements between the two countries. “I went to Afghanistan, talked with them, and made agreements.”
The foreign minister said he asked only one thing of them: that Afghanistan’s territory not be used against Pakistan.
Dar said that an effort was made to start a train service from Afghanistan to other countries. Unfortunately, with the current government in Afghanistan, violent incidents have increased daily, affecting plans for such a project.
Releasing terrorists from prison a mistake
The foreign minister said that 40,000 TTP members came to Pakistan from Afghanistan, and that the government at that time released more than 100 hardcore terrorists from prisons. Such mistakes, he said, should never have been made.
He said that a few years ago, there were 38,000 religious seminaries, and now there are 150,000.
He expressed hope that talks between the two sides in Istanbul on Nov. 6 will advance.
Trump’s active role during Pak-India conflict
Dar said that US President Donald Trump played an active role during the Pak-India conflict from May 6 to 10, and that the UAE, the UK, and Qatar maintained extensive contact during that period.
India had launched 80 drones against Pakistan; the army neutralized 79 of them, while one caused minor damage to military installations, he said.
The foreign minister said that India’s attempt to construct a false narrative was exposed. The operation against India began at 4 a.m. and ended at 8 a.m. At 8:17 a.m., he said, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called to say that India was ready for a ceasefire.
Dar said that the letter recommending President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize was written on June 11.
"The role played by the United States was acknowledged through that letter, which was sent under my signature," he said. The letter will be considered next year, as nominations for the Nobel Prize are accepted till January, he added.
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