India is the biggest sponsor of terrorism in Pakistan, says DG ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has accused India of being the biggest sponsor of terrorism in Pakistan, alleging that the Afghan Taliban regime, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are operating as Indian proxies against the country.

In an interview with Reuters, the military spokesperson said the Afghan Taliban authorities were using non-state actors and mercenaries to pursue what he described as their nefarious objectives, adding that Afghanistan continued to be controlled by non-state elements.

He alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime had provided shelter to wanted militant commanders, including TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, BLA leader Bashir Zeb and Gul Bahadur, and that fighters crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan to carry out attacks.

Chaudhry said militants involved in attacks inside Pakistan travelled from Afghanistan and obtained weapons there.

He warned that the Afghan Taliban would have to pay a serious price if they failed to meet Pakistan’s demand to stop supporting terrorist groups.

Pakistan’s demand from the Afghan Taliban, he said, was limited to ending support for groups carrying out attacks inside the country.

The DG ISPR also alleged that Afghanistan had become a base for several international militant organisations, including Jaish al-Adl, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

He said the roots of various intelligence agencies and proxy groups had strengthened in Afghanistan following the Soviet Union’s intervention in the country, adding that the presence of international terrorist organisations had also been highlighted by the United Nations, the United States and several other countries.

Chaudhry described the Afghan Taliban administration as a regime lacking international credibility and urged the international community to press it to behave like a normal state.

He also called on the global community to compel the Afghan authorities to stop the cultivation and production of narcotics.

On Pakistan’s security preparedness, the military spokesperson said the armed forces had the capability to counter every threat, including attacks involving drones.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing the TTP and other armed groups to use Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul has denied supporting militant groups or allowing Afghan soil to be used against other countries.

In a separate interview with Arab News in September, Chaudhry said Pakistan’s central demand from the Afghan Taliban was to prevent attacks against Pakistan from Afghan territory. He also accused the Taliban authorities of sheltering militant leaders and providing them with weapons and logistical support.

The military spokesperson has previously reiterated that Pakistan reserves the right to defend itself against threats emanating from Afghanistan. In an October 1 briefing, he said Islamabad would take whatever measures were necessary to protect the country’s territorial integrity and security.