ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Thursday criticised the Afghan government for the alleged “state patronage” provided to terrorists operating from their soil.
At a press conference in the federal capital, CM Bugti said that terrorists easily find training camps and safe havens in Afghanistan.
“They receive state patronage there. Several Khawarij who were recently killed were Afghan citizens,” he said.
Bugti urged the Afghan interim government to abide by the Doha agreement, in which they committed to not allowing their soil to be used against any country.
Pakistan has long urged the Afghan government to cut ties with groups responsible for carrying out terror attacks in the country.
At the recently held Inaugural Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan in New York, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raised concerns over the presence of more than two dozen terrorist groups inside Afghanistan, particularly the TTP, BLA, Majeed Brigade, and ETIM, actively collaborating with Al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, CM Bugti reiterated his stance that Indian intelligence agencies were funding violence against security forces and civilians in Balochistan.
“I have been saying from day one that it is a RAW-based and RAW-funded war. India is trying to bring together all the actors working to destabilise Pakistan,” he said.
During the presser, the Balochistan chief minister also shared details of a recent operation against terrorists in Chaghi district, in which two terrorists were killed while another surrendered.
“Forces cordoned the house and offered the terrorists to surrender. They began firing, injuring an FC personnel. The forces retaliated, killing two terrorists while a third surrendered after an intense firefight,” he said.
CM Bugti revealed that one of the eliminated terrorists was responsible for the reconnaissance of key government projects in Chaghi.
“He would monitor the Chinese nationals’ movement in the mine and minerals project in Chaghi. He was also involved in the planning for the attack on the FC Headquarters,” he stated.
CM Bugti also clarified his position on the suspension of 4G mobile services across Balochistan.
“There was a lot of criticism on the suspension of 4G services. It is not our purpose to irritate people,” he said.
CM Bugti added: “Terrorists have started using all mediums of communication, some beyond our intelligence agencies’ capacity.”
The Balochistan chief minister said the move aimed to prevent terrorists from accessing technology to communicate with one another. –Agencies
