• Foreign Office calls for decisive action against militant outfits based in Afghanistan
• Slams Mirwaiz’s house arrest in held Kashmir
• Flays Israeli attack on Iranian embassy in Damascus

ISLAMABAD: In a veiled rebuff to the Afghan Taliban’s latest appeal for dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamabad on Thursday firmly dismissed the prospect of peace talks with the militant group, instead urging Afghanistan’s de facto rulers to take decisive action against it.

“Pakistan is not holding any talks with the terrorist organisation, the TTP. We have no plans to hold these talks with TTP,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly media briefing.

Her remarks were directed at a statement of Afghanistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari, who asked Islamabad and TTP to resolve their issues through dialogue as the violence in Pakistan “was spreading to Afghanistan”.

Ms Baloch said Pakistan expected the Afghan authorities to take action against Pakistani terrorists, who have taken up sanctuaries in Afghanistan for the violence they are perpetrating here.

Islamabad took a tougher line on the issue of terrorist threats from Afghanistan, as the 19th meeting of the National Security Advisers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Thursday expressed their concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the resultant threat to the countries in the region. National Security Division Secretary Waqar Ahmad led the Pakistan delegation at the meeting.

The presence of terrorist sanctuaries within Afghanistan has significantly strained the relationship between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, a group historically supported by Islamabad. Despite repeated requests from Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban have not taken measures to prevent militants from launching attacks from these safe havens. This issue became more pronounced after the TTP escalated their violent activities following the collapse of peace talks brokered by the Afghan Taliban in late 2022.

Recent developments have heightened suspicions regarding Afghanistan’s involvement in the attack on March 26 in Bisham, which resulted in the death of five Chinese nationals. This speculation gained traction particularly after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in the aftermath of a high-level security meeting, explicitly labelled Afghanistan as a “source of terrorism”.

Moreover, the communiqué issued by the participants of that meeting indirectly implicated Afghanistan by highlighting the issue of “sanctuaries available to terrorists across the borders”.

However, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the investigation in Bisham incident were continuing and the matter would be raised with Afghan Taliban “if there is a clear connection”.

Ms Baloch reminded that there had previously been repeated incidents of terrorism inside Pakistan, which were planned and executed by elements based inside Afghanistan. “We expect the Afghan authorities to take urgent, immediate action against all terror groups,” she added.

Israel’s aggression

In a condemnation of Israel’s continued aggression, Ms Baloch highlighted ongoing violations of international law, including an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and strikes on a humanitarian convoy in Gaza.

The Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate, she said, marked a significant breach of the UN Charter and international norms. She noted that the attack on a convoy from the NGO World Central Kitchen in Gaza was part of a series of actions over the last six months targeting UNRWA, humanitarian relief organisations and unarmed civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.

“Deliberate targeting of a humanitarian convoy, bringing food to people facing famine, is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The attack has taken place at a time when Israel is creating hurdles in UNRWA’s efforts to bring food and vital lifesaving aid to the people of Gaza. We condemn these atrocities and call for international accountability of Israel for its crimes against humanity,” she said.

The Foreign Office welcomed the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent provisional measures ordered on March 28 in response to the deteriorating situation in Gaza. The ICJ’s rulings call for the immediate provision of humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies, to Palestinians in Gaza, highlighting the worsening of the crisis due to Israeli obstructions.

The ICJ’s decision, she noted, underscores Israel’s continued defiance of international legal orders, emphasising the need for accountability and action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Ms Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s call for the swift implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2728, adopted on March 25.

Mirwaiz Farooq’s detention

The spokeswoman condemned Indian authorities’ decision to prohibit Eidul Fitr prayers at the Eidgah in Srinagar as the holy month of Ramazan concludes. She highlighted the house detention of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief cleric of Srinagar’s historic Jama Mosque and a prominent Kashmiri leader, preventing him from commemorating an event in honour of his ancestor, the late Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Yousuf Shah.

According to Ms Baloch, this move is part of a longstanding pattern by Indian occupation authorities to impose restrictions on religious gatherings and curb the activities of Kashmiri religious leaders, especially during significant religious occasions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Imposing restrictions on Kashmiri religious leaders and restraining the Kashmiri public from congregating on special religious occasions have become pervasive in IIOJK,” she said.

She urged the Indian authorities to uphold the rights of the people in India-held Kashmir to peaceful assembly and to practise their religion freely.

The spokesperson also condemned the attacks on police stations and other installations in the Iranian cities of Chabahar and Rask.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024