ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s political and navy management on Monday vowed that no nation will probably be allowed to shelter militants who stage assaults towards the nation — an obvious reference to neighboring Afghanistan.
The assertion got here amid a spike in assaults by the militant Pakistani Taliban, lots of whom are hiding in neighboring Afghanistan. The assaults are on the rise throughout Pakistan, particularly within the northwest close to the Afghan border.
The announcement got here on the finish of a prolonged assembly of Pakistan’s Nationwide Safety Committee, which was attended by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the newly appointed military chief Gen. Asim Munir, and different officers.
In keeping with a authorities assertion, the committee vowed that there will probably be “zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan” and that militants will probably be handled utilizing the “full power of the state.”
The announcement got here two weeks after Pakistan’s particular forces killed greater than two dozen detainees linked to the Pakistani Taliban in a raid after they overpowered guards at a counter-terrorism middle within the northwest and killed three hostages. Earlier than launching the rescue operation, the detainees had demanded secure passage to Afghanistan, a requirement the federal government rejected.
The Pakistani Taliban, also called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are separate from, however allied with, the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban seized energy final yr as U.S. and NATO troops have been within the remaining weeks of their pullout from the nation after 20 years of battle.
The takeover of Afghanistan emboldened TTP fighters who’ve stepped up assaults on Pakistani safety forces since November after they unilaterally ended a monthslong cease-fire with Pakistan’s authorities. The growing militant violence has strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, who had brokered the cease-fire in Could.
