Amid the recent surge in violence in Afghanistan, Pakistan has said that some 5,000 terrorists belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were posing a threat to its security from their "sanctuaries" in the neighbouring country.
"The assertions of the Afghan side are contrary to facts on ground and various reports of the UN, which also corroborate the presence and activities of over 5000-strong TTP in Afghanistan," the Pakistan Foreign Office was quoted by Dawn newspaper.
It further claimed that the TTP has over the past few years launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts.
This statement comes in response to the Afghan foreign ministry's remarks about TTP's presence on Afghan territory. On Sunday, the Ashraf Ghani government denied the presence of the terrorist group in Afghanistan after Pakistan expressed apprehensions regarding a possible spillover of TTP.
"According to the national security policy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, this movement along with other terrorist groups is recognized as the enemy of peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region, and the Afghan government fights against this terrorist outfit like any other terrorist group without discrimination," the Afghan foreign ministry said.
The statement said that Afghanistan has consistently stressed upon implementation of UNSC resolutions and the Doha agreement which calls on the Taliban to cut ties with regional and international terrorist groups including the TTP.
"In order to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan and to ensure stability and prosperity in the region, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls on all countries, especially Pakistan, to treat all terrorist outfits equally and without discrimination, and not allow these closely linked and organized groups to collude with each other to jeopardize the security and stability of our countries," the statement added.
Earlier this month, Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had said that Islamabad is expecting that the Taliban will not allow terrorist groups like TTP to carry out activities against Pakistan.
Pakistan has finished over 80 per cent of the Durand Line fencing along with Afghanistan despite facing backlash from the people on both sides of the line. Despite the absence of a concrete agreement with the Afghan government, the Pakistan government has been declaring the Durand Line as an official border.
( With inputs from ANI )
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