ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday asked Afghanistan’s administration to choose between his country and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during a visit to the northwestern Bannu city as 19 soldiers and 45 militants were killed in separate clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this week.
Relations between the two neighboring countries began to fray after a wave of deadly suicide bombings in Pakistan two years ago that Islamabad blamed on TTP fighters it said were based across the border.
Pakistani officials accused the administration in Kabul of facilitating cross-border attacks, a charge Afghan authorities rejected, saying Pakistan’s security troubles were domestic.
As violence mounted, Pakistan started expelling undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, deepening the bilateral rift.
“Terrorists come from Afghanistan and, together with the TTP, these khawarij join forces to martyr our soldiers, our brothers and sisters and ordinary citizens,” Sharif said after visiting wounded troops at Bannu’s Combined Military Hospital.
The term “khwarij” is rooted in early Islamic history and refers to an extremist sect that declared other Muslims apostates.
“Today I want to send a clear message to Afghanistan,” he added. “Choose one of two paths. If they wish to establish relations with Pakistan with genuine goodwill, sincerity and honesty, we are ready for that. But if they choose to side with terrorists and support them, then we will have nothing to do with the Afghan interim government.”
Sharif said Pakistan would eliminate militant violence with the help of its security forces even without Afghan cooperation.
He earlier attended the funeral prayers of the soldiers, calling them “true heroes of the nation” and vowing their sacrifices would not go in vain.
The prime minister, accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Peshawar Corps Commander, received a detailed security briefing on militant violence in the area, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
He told reporters that Pakistan desired peaceful relations with all its neighbors but would not allow hostile groups to sabotage peace.
Sharif also announced he would soon convene a federal cabinet meeting to discuss measures against militancy, reiterating that “the enemies of Pakistan cannot impose their destructive ideology on our nation.”
19 SOLDIERS, 45 MILITANTS KILLED
Sharif’s visit to Bannu came as the Pakistan military announced earlier in the day that 19 soldiers and 45 militants had been killed in separate clashes this week near the country’s border with Afghanistan in KP.
In one of the incidents, Pakistani security forces raided a TTP hideout in KP’s Bajaur district where 22 militants were killed in an exchange of fire, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Another 13 militants were killed in an encounter in the South Waziristan district, with the military saying the deceased militants belonged to the Pakistani Taliban.
“However, during the intense fire exchange, twelve brave sons of the soil, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom),” the ISPR said in a statement.
In another statement released later in the day, the military mentioned yet another incident in Lower Dir District where an intelligence-based operation on Sept. 11 led to the killing of 10 more militants.
The shootout also led to the death of seven more soldiers, bringing the overall number of security forces casualties to 19.
The death toll underscores the struggles Pakistan faces as it tries to contain surging militancy in KP, which borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and the state broke down in November 2022.
The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and checkpoints, as well as carried out targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
“Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed the physical involvement of Afghan nationals in these heinous acts,” the ISPR said, adding that Islamabad “expects the Interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.”
There has been no immediate comment from Kabul in response to these statements emerging from Pakistan.
