——— FO Spox says UN report pointed out TTP operatives and its new recruits are being trained in Afghanistan
——— Dismisses Iran’s remarks on Parachinar situation
——— Calls for holding Ismail Haniyeh’s killers to account
——— Maintains Israel must be held accountable for its transgressions and actions
From Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has endorsed Pakistan’s view regarding terrorists of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) taking refuge within hideouts and sanctuaries in Afghan-istan.
Addressing the weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the report mentions how the TTP — declared as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ by the Paki-stani government — could “transform into an extra regional threat as well as and “umbrella organisa-tion” of other terror groups.
The UN report, according to Baloch, pointed out that the TTP operatives and its new recruits are being trained in Afghanistan.
FO then urged Afghanistan to take immediate, effective and robust action against the terrorist groups including the ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’. Baloch further maintained that the Afghan side must ensure that their land is not used for terrorist activities inside Pakistan. The FO spokesperson said that Pakistan had long been conveying that the terrorist outfit had a sup-port structure in Afghanistan, adding that the UN report highlighted the increased collaboration of the banned terrorist organisation with the Afghan Taliban.
“We have also been urging Afghanistan to take immediate and robust action against those using Af-ghan soil for terror activities in Pakistan,” she said.
The FO remarks came in response to the UNSC report that revealed “an increased collaboration be-tween the TTP and Afghan Taliban in the cross-border terrorist attacks mainly against Pakistani military posts”.
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which produced the UNSC report, said Paki-stan suffered more than eight hundred attacks in the past several months.
It added that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan is causing heightened concern in many UN member states.
The report underscored that there is increased support and collaboration between TTP and the Tali-ban, sharing manpower and training camps in Afghanistan and conducting more lethal attacks under the banner of Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan.
“According to the report, Al-Qaeda seeks to strengthen cooperation with regional terrorist organiza-tions of non-Afghan origin, such as ETIM/TIP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Jamaat An-sarullah for expansion to Central Asia,” a Radio Pakistan news report stated. Meanwhile, FO spokesperson also commented on the assassination of the Chief of the Political Bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, stating that targeting individuals inside sovereign states is a viola-tion of international law and global norms.
Baloch maintained that such acts carry the seeds of further escalation and that it is yet another demonstration of indiscriminate and disproportionate Israeli aggression that has continued unabated to the detriment of regional and global peace and security
The spokesperson said Israel must be held accountable for its transgressions and actions.
“Israeli’s extraterritorial acts have endangered regional security,” a statement by the FO read,
Baloch urged the backers of Israel to prevail on Israel to end its unlawful military operations in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region.
