Heavy weapons and ammunition seized from retreating Taliban forces are shown amid Operation Ghazab Lil Haq.
ISLAMABAD:
Security officials said on Thursday that Pakistan’s ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq against terrorist networks in Afghanistan would continue until credible assurances are provided that terrorism will no longer receive support from across the border.
Ties between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have been at their lowest level since the group took power four years ago. On February 22, Pakistan carried out night attacks on terrorist camps and hideouts in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. The Afghan Taliban subsequently launched unprovoked attacks along the border last week. Subsequently, Islamabad launched Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq on February 26.
While speaking to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa journalists in Rawalpindi, security officials maintained that Pakistan had no problem with Afghanistan or its people, but noted that the Afghan Taliban regime had become a “proxy master” facilitating multiple terrorist groups, posing a threat to regional peace and stability.
They said Afghan Taliban leaders would have to choose between maintaining relations with Pakistan or continuing to support terrorist groups.
They described Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq as a continuation of Pakistan’s broader war on terrorism, adding that it would continue until there were credible assurances and practical steps by the Afghan Taliban regime to end patronage of terrorists.
Describing the terrorists as Khawarij, security officials said they were promoting a “distorted interpretation of religion.” They stressed that terrorism, suicide attacks and violence against women had no connection with Islamic teachings and were contrary to religious and social traditions.
They added that religious scholars of different schools of thought had declared the fight against the Khawarij and their supporters as the highest form of jihad.
Pakistan has been attacking hideouts, facilitation networks and launch pads of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan based on intelligence reports.
Fitna al Khawarij is a term used by the State for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the State for terrorist organizations in Balochistan.
Officials rejected claims that civilian areas were under attack in Afghanistan, calling them contrary to facts that ignored the loss of innocent Pakistani lives in terrorist attacks.
They further said that groups facing persecution under the Afghan Taliban regime had welcomed the operation, adding that official Afghan social media accounts and Indian-backed media outlets were spreading fabricated narratives.
The officials also noted that more than 200 intelligence-based operations were being carried out daily across Pakistan to counter terrorist threats. They stressed that national unity and full implementation of the National Action Plan were essential to eliminate terrorism.
Responding to concerns about regional developments, including tensions involving Iran, officials said claims that Pakistan’s security was threatened were baseless.
They reiterated that Pakistan believed in maintaining constructive relations with all countries but remained fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
