ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that he would visit Kabul soon as Pakistan grapples with an increase in terrorism it attributed to terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.
Militancy has increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban took over in 2021, with Pakistan persistently asking the interim rulers to stop cross-border attacks and take decisive action against militants operating in its territory.
Foreign Minister Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi was also present at the meeting.
“We have had and will have a very close relationship with Afghanistan. You don’t change your neighbors.”
Responding to a question, the foreign minister said that Chinese nationals were attacked in Dass and added that such attacks are meant to create rifts between Pakistan and China. Unfortunately, traces of these incidents indicate the involvement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and this unit exists in Afghanistan, he pointed out.
During the second quarter of this year, Pakistan witnessed 380 violence-related deaths and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws due to as many as 240 incidents of terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations.
This includes 236 deaths among civilians and members of the security forces, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) annual report said.
“Security is our main problem that Pakistan has with Afghanistan,” he said, also pointing out that the polio virus has re-emerged in Pakistan. However, the crippling disease was eradicated in 2018, he noted.
Dar also spoke about the financial situation, saying, “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made it clear that he will not want any more debt from any brotherly country.”
Pakistan will have to focus on economic diplomacy if it has to avoid the current financial crisis, he said, clarifying: “I have made every effort to provide assistance to the government’s economic team.”
