Banned TTP operating from Afghan soil to spread terrorism in Pakistan: Defence Minister

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif says the defunct organization of Tehreek-e-Taliban is operating from Afghan soil to spread terrorism in parts of Pakistan.
Talking to a private television channel, he said Pakistan has asked the interim Afghan government to respect Doha agreement, and it has promised to control the terrorist activity from its soil.
The Defence Minister said the government had opened doors for talks with TTP but there was no progress in this regard.
Khawaja Asif said that General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and General (retd) Faiz Hameed briefed the National Assembly about the background of the negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their subsequent developments. However, it did not produce any positive results, he said.
He pointed out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) accounted for 58% of all terrorist incidents in Pakistan, with some of them also occurring in Balochistan. Meanwhile, in Sindh and Punjab, these incidents are few and far between, he added.
Setting aside the PTI leaders’ allegations regarding General Bajwa’s involvement in the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan that led to his ouster in April last year, the defence minister asserted that he wonders how he [Bajwa] has anything to do with the [no-confidence] motion given the fact that it was produced in parliament. He called on Imran Khan to reform his behaviour.
“Imran Khan is leveling allegations against everyone, including the United States and national institutions,” he said. “On the other hand, we will knock at every door to achieve unanimity on national issues,” he said.
Friendly countries want to assist Pakistan and encourage the country to remain in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, he remarked. Accordingly, the government has decided to stay in the IMF programme, he said.
“We will have to take tough decisions. We will ensure that the middle-class and low-income sections of society are not overly burdened,” he vowed.
Earlier on Monday, the NSC, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, decided that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights to safeguard its people.
The resolves come during the 40th meeting of the NSC held in Islamabad, according to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House on Monday.
On Friday also, the NSC vowed to respond firmly to resurgent terrorism in the country and declared militants as “enemies of Pakistan”.
The law and order situation in the country has worsened over the past few months. Terrorist groups, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), executed terror attacks across the country.