ISLAMABAD: Pakistan vowed on Wednesday to continue its current policy toward Afghanistan unless the Taliban leadership abandons its “guerrilla mindset,” days after Islamabad carried out airstrikes inside Afghan territory, sharply escalating tensions between the two neighbors once again.
Pakistan conducted intelligence-based strikes overnight into Sunday in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar and southeastern Paktika provinces, saying it had targeted camps of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), its affiliates and Daesh-linked fighters.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing militant groups to use Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces, a charge the Taliban deny. The two sides also clashed in October last year, leading Pakistan to close key border crossings for bilateral and transit trade.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Geo News that Pakistan had attempted dialogue but would now persist with practical measures if the Taliban failed to change course.
“They call themselves a state, but they have not yet emerged from their guerrilla mindset,” he said.
