Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Thursday that Islamabad expects cooperation from the Taliban to help address the challenge of terrorism.
Addressing her weekly news conference, Baloch said Pakistan expects sincere cooperation from the Taliban and hopes the group will live up to its commitments made with the international community and Pakistan in this regard.
She stated that terrorism is a common threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and “we must take a strong stand against such entities that use violence against innocent citizens and law enforcement agencies”.
Baloch also stated that Pakistan does not believe in pointing fingers or making accusations, but that Islamabad does reiterate its “expectations that no country should allow its territory to be used for perpetrating terrorism against Pakistan. It is time that the commitments made to the world are fulfilled with sincerity and in good faith actions”, state-run media outlet Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban in Afghanistan of providing sanctuaries to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group that has stepped up attacks on Pakistan in recent months and following Monday’s massive explosion that left over 100 people dead in Peshawar, voices have been raised over the issue.
Earlier this week, Dawn News reported that the TTP claimed responsibility for the explosion, but the TTP has since distanced itself from the incident.
On Wednesday, however, the Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called on Pakistan to stop blaming insecurity in their country on Kabul.
Muttaqi said Pakistan’s security problems are rooted in the country and stated “Afghanistan is not a terrorist haven”.
