”Pakistan’s security is guaranteed by its armed forces, and that guarantee cannot be given to Kabul”, said Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, during a press briefing held in Islamabad.
He said Pakistan never celebrated the arrival of the Taliban, that Pakistan is fighting Taliban-affiliated groups, and that operations against the banned TTP, BLA and other organisations continue. He reiterated that Pakistan’s security is the responsibility of the armed forces, and that responsibility is not something to be assigned to Kabul.
On questions about drones, he said Pakistan has no agreement with the United States concerning drones, and that no formal complaint about drones has been received from the Taliban regime. In Istanbul, Pakistan made it clear to the Taliban that managing and controlling terrorism is their responsibility, and Pakistan told them how this should be done. He added that those militants fled to Afghanistan when Pakistan conducted counter-terrorism operations here, and Pakistan has asked that they be handed over so they can be dealt with under Pakistan’s constitution and laws.
He described the core problem as a nexus between terrorism, criminal elements and the TTP. He said these groups cultivate opium, earning between 1.8 and 2.5 million rupees per acre. Whole communities become complicit, warlords join them, and revenues are shared among the Afghan Taliban, the TTP and the warlords. He stressed that these actors operate together and profit from this arrangement.
In response to a question about creating posts within the military, he said that such decisions are the prerogative of the government, not the military.
