Only positive way forward is for Afghanistan to abide by Doha Agreement: Talal Chaudhry

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Saturday that the only constructive solution to tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan is for Kabul to fully abide by the Doha Agreement, which bars the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities.

Amid ongoing hostilities with Afghanistan, a high-level delegation — led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif — is holding discussions^[1] with a delegation from Kabul today in the Qatari capital Doha, the Foreign Office said today.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, the state minister noted that Pakistan has tried to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels and the military’s connections to Afghanistan, but so far these attempts have failed.

“For the first time, a third country is getting involved to convey that Afghanistan has to abide by the Doha agreement, whereby they will not allow the use of their territory for acts of terrorism by anyone,” he said.

“Through a third country, a conversation is ongoing. The only positive way forward is that Afghanistan prohibits the use of its soil to all actors using it to stage acts of terror, as laid out in the Doha agreement.”

When asked if Pakistan would respond to attacks by targeting terrorists on Afghan soil, Chaudhry replied: “Why don’t things improve? It’s because they (Afghans) lack resolve and commitment. Khawarij are trained and sponsored there before they enter Pakistan.”

Fitna al Khawarij^[2] is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan.

“Now, Afghanistan is shaking hands with India and recognising [occupied] Kashmir as Indian territory. We kept saying ‘they are proxies’ and now they have proven it.”

The state minister said that “proxy forces” need to remember that Pakistan will maintain its stance and do whatever is necessary to defend its people and territorial integrity.

“If terrorism is Pakistan’s internal issue, then why do they [terrorists] come from Afghanistan?” he asked, referring to recent remarks from Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stating that terrorism is a country’s internal issue.

“We have identified their camps and hideouts and how they enter Pakistan. We have sent them multiple dossiers with this information, but nothing has been done,” he emphasised.

Since last weekend, Islamabad and Kabul have been engaged in a series of border clashes.

Last Sunday, 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed in border clashes^[3] following an attack from the Afghan side, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

Afghanistan claims it carried out the border attack as a “retaliatory” measure, accusing Islamabad of conducting air strikes^[4] in its territory last Thursday — a charge Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied^[5].

Clashes broke out again earlier this week on Tuesday, with the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al Khawarij exchanging fire^[6] with Pakistan troops at the Kurram border. Pakistan followed this on Wednesday by launching “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and Kabul.

The FO on Wednesday announced that a temporary ceasefire was agreed with Afghanistan for the next 48 hours amid the recent border hostilities, due to expire at 6pm PKT on Friday. Later on Friday, the ceasefire was extended^[7], according to a senior diplomatic source.

Additionally, Pakistan again targeted^[8] terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan that same day. Incidents were reported from the Angoor Adda region and across Afghanistan’s Urgun and Barmal districts of Paktika province as strikes were conducted against hideouts of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.

The attacks came on the heels of an audacious gun-and-bomb attack targeting^[9] a military installation in North Waziristan, and just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended the two-day ceasefire.