Taliban Must Curb Militants Or Face Consequences, Pakistan Warns
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned the Afghan Taliban that if they fail to ensure Pakistan’s security, they will “pay the price.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned the Afghan Taliban that if they fail to ensure Pakistan’s security, they will “pay the price.”
He alleged that the Taliban had demanded 10 billion rupees (about £27 million) in exchange for transferring members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Speaking to Pakistan’s SAMAA TV on Friday, 31 October, Asif said terrorism and cross-border attacks originating from Afghan soil must cease entirely; otherwise, the agreement between the two countries would lose its value.
He stressed that Pakistan would not tolerate terrorism from any group including the TTP or Baloch separatists and warned that cross-border attacks would face a strong response.
Referring to the upcoming round of talks on 6 November, Asif said the Pakistani delegation would attend to finalise details with the Afghan Taliban.
He noted that if progress was made, senior officials could join the discussions and that a new mechanism would be established to address cross-border militant activity.
The defence minister added that although the Afghan Taliban had requested 10 billion rupees for the transfer of TTP members, they had yet to provide any security guarantees.
Asif said Pakistan was willing to pay more but claimed that Kabul had refused to commit to upholding its side of the agreement.
He previously stated that the normalisation of relations between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban depends on the group’s willingness to curb TTP operations, noting that many of the group’s members are currently sheltering inside Afghanistan.
