‘No dialogue’: Pakistan open to attacks on Afghanistan-based armed groups | Conflict News

The comments come against the backdrop of increasing tensions between the neighbours and a new military offensive by Pakistan.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned that his country would not hesitate to launch attacks on the territory of its neighbor Afghanistan for security reasons amid rising tensions between the two countries.

When asked whether Pakistan would consider cross-border attacks to keep the perpetrators under control, Asif replied in an interview: “If the need arises, there is nothing more important than Pakistan’s sovereignty.”

Regarding the legality of possible cross-border attacks, Asif argued that Pakistan must put its own interests first. “It is also a violation of international norms when Afghan soil is used to export terrorism and those responsible are given protection and refuge by the local population,” he added.

In the interview on Thursday, he also rejected any prospect of dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, an armed group accused by Pakistan of launching attacks from across the border.

“There is no chance of dialogue with them. What are we talking about? We need a common ground to talk to them,” said Asif.

The interview follows Pakistan’s recent announcement of a renewed military operation called Azm-e-Istehkam, aimed at containing escalating violence since November 2022, when the TTP unilaterally ended a ceasefire.

Founded in 2007 and ideologically close to the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is an armed group that advocates the reversal of the merger of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and stricter enforcement of its interpretation of Islamic law in the region.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused armed groups of launching their attacks from Afghanistan, where the Afghan Taliban, who have been in power since August 2021, offer them a safe haven. The Taliban deny these allegations.

Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated significantly over the past two years, with numerous border skirmishes often leading to the closure of border crossings.

In March this year, Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Afghan territory in retaliation for attacks that killed seven soldiers in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Afghan interim government claimed that Pakistan had launched attacks on ordinary Afghan households and condemned what it viewed as its neighbor’s reckless actions.

Although Asif’s comments underlined the close ties between the two neighbours, Pakistan stressed that it was not closing the door on Afghanistan and would remain committed to its neighbour’s future.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the National Assembly on June 27 that the country would send a delegation to the United Nations-hosted talks with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha on June 30.

Dar, who also serves as the country’s deputy prime minister, added that the Foreign Ministry is planning a future visit by officials to Kabul.

“Afghanistan remains one of the top priorities on our agenda. Make no mistake, Afghanistan has not been ignored by this administration,” he stressed.

However, Riccardo Valle, a Venice-based researcher with the Khorasan Diary – a non-partisan platform of journalists – said that while improving the security situation in the country is necessary, Operation Azm-e-Istehkam could have negative consequences for Pakistan’s relations with the Afghan Taliban and may not achieve the goal of reducing violence.

“Pakistan has previously carried out airstrikes reportedly targeting TTP militia camps. These actions not only failed to weaken the group but also provoked strong propaganda responses from the TTP,” Valle told Al Jazeera.

Pakistan has seen a rise in violence over the past 18 months, with data showing that in 2023 alone, there were more than 700 attacks that left nearly 1,000 people dead, mostly police officers.

The government has sent numerous delegations to Kabul, including a high-level visit by Asif and Pakistani intelligence chief General Nadeem Anjum in February 2023. However, mutual distrust between the two countries remains.

Valle points to the close relationship and shared ideology between the TTP and the ruling Afghan Taliban, which makes it difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Afghan Taliban would crack down on the Pakistani Taliban.

The researcher pointed out that the announcement of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam had already provoked fierce resistance from residents and political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Today there is a regime in Afghanistan that has relations with the Pakistani Taliban. With this operation, Pakistan risks further fuelling grievances in the province against the state and possibly aiding the TTP,” he said.