Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Khan Durrani on Tuesday said the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group was the country’s “red line” and there were hopes that the interim Afghan government would take effective action against the outfit.
“Terrorism emanating out of Afghanistan is a concern not only for Pakistan but other neighbouring countries like China, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well,” Ambassador Durrani said at a roundtable discussion on “Pak-Afghan Relations: Challenges and Opportunities” at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) Islamabad.
He urged the Afghan interim administration to take steps against terrorist groups.
At the same time, Durrani said, “We have to deal with the Afghan government with patience and perseverance. Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
The comments come a day after the Pakistan army killed three terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dir district.
Ambassador Durrani said Pakistan desired socioeconomic and political conditions in Afghanistan that would facilitate the return of over three million Afghan refugees currently residing in the country.
He urged the international community, especially the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, to come up with strategies for the dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
Ambassador Durrani shared that the Afghan administration’s efforts for poppy eradication were acknowledged by stakeholders at the UN Doha meeting that concluded earlier this month.
The special representative called for removing obstacles to trade between the two neighbours and the transit of Pakistan’s goods from Afghanistan to Central Asia.
He also called for expediting regional connectivity projects such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Casa-1000 power transmission line from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ambassador Durrani urged the government to continue its crackdown against smuggling from Afghanistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Abrar Hussain, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, highlighted the importance of border management in the relations between the two countries.
He appreciated people-to-people as well as diplomatic contacts between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels.
Hussain urged regional countries to assist the Afghan interim government in addressing its capacity issues regarding dealing with terrorism emanating out of Afghanistan.
In concluding remarks, IRS President Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, highlighted the multiple commonalities and linkages between Pakistan and Afghanistan, besides the economic interdependence.
He termed terrorism as the major source of friction between the two neighbouring countries and called upon the Afghan interim administration to honour its commitments about not allowing its soil to be used for terrorism against any other country, underscoring that supporting counter-terrorism would be in the interest of Afghanistan itself.
