No army operations in Tirah Valley; if there was, it would be officially announced, says Ahmed Chaudhry
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has dismissed reports of any understanding between Pakistan and the United States on drone operations in Afghanistan, calling them “completely baseless”.
“Pakistan does not have any agreement with the United States and no formal complaint regarding drones has been received from the Taliban regime,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said while speaking to senior journalists on Monday.
He added that the Ministry of Information had clarified the matter repeatedly. “There is no agreement under which drones will operate from Pakistan to Afghanistan,” DG ISPR stressed.
Lieutenant General Chaudhry accused the Taliban regime of facilitating terrorists and said Pakistan had made it clear to the Taliban during the Istanbul talks that it was their responsibility to control terrorism and explain how they would do so.
“These were our people; when we launched operations against them, they fled to Afghanistan. Hand them over to us and we will deal with them according to the Constitution and the law,” he said.
The DG ISPR said the real challenge lies in the nexus between terrorists, criminal networks and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He alleged that these groups are involved in opium cultivation, earning between Rs 1.8 million and Rs 2.5 million per acre, a trade that attracts local populations and warlords. He added that profits are shared between the Afghan Taliban, the TTP and regional warlords.
