Pakistan: We Have Not Conducted Military Operations in Afghanistan
Rokna Political Desk: The spokesperson for Pakistan’s army has rejected the Taliban’s statements, calling the allegations of Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil baseless, and stressing that in the event of any military operation, Pakistan would openly acknowledge responsibility.
Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s army, said that if Pakistan were to carry out an operation on Afghan territory, it would do so openly and would assume full responsibility for it.
According to Rokna, this reaction by Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry came in response to recent statements by the spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, who claimed that several civilians, including children, were killed following airstrikes conducted two days earlier inside Afghanistan.
This comes as the previously strained relations between the two countries have remained tense since mid-Mehr of this year, following several Pakistani strikes on certain positions inside Afghanistan and subsequent attacks by the Afghan Taliban on Pakistan’s border areas. Despite three rounds of negotiations between representatives of the two countries in Doha and Istanbul, efforts to normalize relations remain at an impasse.
In his latest remarks, Major General Ahmed Sharif, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s army, stated that Pakistan has not carried out any attack inside Afghanistan and that recent reports are merely “deflection.”
He added that the recent incident may be linked to internal unrest in Afghanistan. However, if Pakistan were to conduct an operation inside Afghanistan, it would do so openly and would fully accept responsibility for it.
The spokesperson for Pakistan’s army also stated: “There is no perception in this country of good or bad Taliban; we consider them terrorists.”
Regarding the suspension of bilateral trade with Afghanistan, he added: “Terror and trade cannot coexist. Pakistan never targets civilians, but Kabul considers the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan terrorists as its guests.”
Last week, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that trade with Afghanistan will remain suspended until the Taliban regime takes practical steps against terrorist elements and addresses Pakistan’s serious concerns.
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