- KP chief executive must not have made any statements – defense tsar.
- CM Ali Amin Gandapur's statements are extremely dangerous.
- KP CM announced sending team to Kabul without Centre's approval.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has slammed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur's statement on holding direct dialogue with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, calling it a direct attack on the federation.
At an event of the Peshawar Bar Council Association a day earlier, CM Gandapur announced sending a provincial government delegation to neighbouring Afghanistan to hold dialogue and resolve bilateral issues without waiting for approval from the federal government as his “province is bleeding” due to a rise in terror attacks.
Asif, speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, said the provincial chief executive should not have given the statement.
He added that no province has the authority to directly negotiate with any country and in this context, the statement made by CM Gandapur is extremely dangerous.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror attacks since the Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the border provinces of KP and Balochistan.
In KP alone, there were 25 victims in the 29 terrorist attacks in August.
Islamabad has once again asked the interim government of Afghanistan to prevent its territory from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organisations to carry out attacks against Pakistan.
Citing rising terror incidents, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a revitalized nationwide anti-terror campaign following the recommendations of the Central Apex Committee under the National Action Plan to eradicate terrorism.
The government had also introduced a major policy shift with the decision to strictly enforce international laws on its borders with Afghanistan earlier this year to restrict the influx of militants and smuggled goods into the country.
Afghanistan does not recognise the Durand Line, the border between the two countries, arguing that it was created by the British to divide ethnic Pashtuns.
The 2,640-kilometre border was established in 1893 by an agreement between British-ruled India and Abdur Rahman Khan, then ruler of Afghanistan.
Both countries share 18 border crossings, with Torkham and Chaman being the most used for trade and movement of people. These border crossings also connect Balochistan with Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
In 2017, Pakistan began fencing its border with Afghanistan to curb cross-border terrorist movement, a move condemned by Kabul.
