Indispensable strikes

Pakistan's airstrikes on terrorists hideouts in southern Afghanistan solely came in self-defence. The sorties flown over the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, the staging ground for insurgency and infiltration into Pakistan, took out more than 80 terrorists. The attacks were conducted after hectic episodes of diplomacy, wherein Kabul was requested to go after the dreaded elements holed up inside Afghanistan – but in vain. A demarche was also served on the Afghan deputy head of mission in Islamabad last week, formally mentioning the terror nexus that has emboldened due to the Taliban regime's irresponsible attitude and its policy of appeasement towards the terrorists. It is a foregone conclusion that terror emanates from Afghanistan, and this has been documented twice by the world body in the last couple of months. The 37th report by the UNSC's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, released on February 4, confirmed Pakistan's longstanding claim that the TTP is operating from Afghanistan with significant backing from the Afghan Interim Government. Likewise, regional states too have, time and again, reprimanded Kabul over its suspicious role and failure to reign in the mercenaries who are proving to be an existential threat to the whole region, and beyond. Pakistan has long exercised restraint and patience with Afghanistan. It did all within its means to support the millions of Afghan refugees for decades, besides keeping the various border crossings open for trade, despite the continued risk of infiltration from the Afghan side. The Taliban regime, on the other hand, failed to abide by the Doha Accord wherein it was mandatory to deny the use of its soil for terror activities. The recent attacks in Bajaur, Bannu, Islamabad and dozens of towns of Balochistan are an indictment of the regime in Kabul, and it's high time the regime faced the music. The onus is on Afghanistan to start behaving as a sovereign responsible state and not as a guerilla entity. Making peace with Pakistan by flushing out terrorists is a must.

from Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/U2xKrQe

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