Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says Pakistan has no intention of launching a cross-border operation in Afghanistan. “We’re not interested in launching a cross-border operation, nor would we want to advocate for more military intervention after what we’ve already seen was the longest war,” Bilawal told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Ties between Islamabad and Kabul have been far from smooth since the Taliban’s ascent to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Clashes along the disputed border have been a recurring problem, while a recent spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan has added fuel to the simmering fire, particularly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan blames these attacks on the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group it accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring. While Islamabad has been pushing Kabul to rein in terrorist groups, the Taliban deny allowing any groups, including the TTP, to threaten Pakistan or other countries.
The foreign minister reiterated Pakistan’s demand for the Taliban to weed out terrorist organisations and offered to help in any such efforts.“The most legitimate and the most viable way for us to address the issue of terrorism will be for the interim government in Afghanistan to take appropriate action against these groups,” he said.
“What we will prefer is for the interim government of Afghanistan to take action against terrorists that may be in their country, and we are ready and willing to help them increase their capacity and ability to deal with that threat.” ‘Pakistan facing multidimensional economic challenges’ On the country’s economic conditions, Bilawal said the country is grappling with “multidimensional challenges.”
“I think these are incredibly challenging economic times for everyone, particularly where we are seeing the fallout from Covid, the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the sanctions associated with that having an outside effect on the (global) economy,” he said.
“Everyone is facing inflation and difficult economic problems.” For Pakistan, he explained, an additional burden has been problems related to Afghanistan. “We’ve seen the fall of Kabul and the consequences that have had on our economy,” he said.
