RASC News Agency: In response to statements by the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asserted that independent reports, including those from the United Nations, confirm the presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated in a press conference on Thursday, August 29, that the use of Afghanistan territory for terrorist activities in Pakistan has been “conclusively established.”
She emphasized that all reports corroborate the fact that TTP is based in Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its concerns to the Afghanistani Taliban and provided concrete evidence regarding this issue. The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We expect the Taliban to take robust and tangible actions against terrorists in Afghanistan who threaten Pakistan’s security.”
Previously, following recent attacks in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also claimed that TTP is using Afghanistan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan. However, Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Chief of Army Staff of the Taliban, in response to Sharif’s remarks, stated that Pakistan has yet to provide any proof to substantiate its claim of TTP’s presence in Afghanistan.
Fitrat argued that TTP is openly operating within Pakistan and has even seized and controls certain areas there. Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Pakistani officials have repeatedly asserted that TTP is using Afghanistan soil to conduct attacks in Pakistan. Reports from the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions monitoring committee have also indicated that TTP has established bases and training centers in Afghanistan.
