Taliban assured Afghan soil won’t be used against Pakistan: ISPR DG

Pakistan Armed Forces Spokesperson Major General Babar Ifthkikhar Friday said the Taliban has assured that Afghan soil would not be used against Pakistan as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has safe havens in Afghanistan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

He said for any kind of military collaboration with Afghanistan, there must be a government in Kabul.”

Commenting on the Afghan forces meltdown in front of Taliban fighters said Afghan Army cadets were trained in India and the Afghan government preferred training for its troops from India than Pakistan.

He said Pakistan offered to train an entire brigade of the Afghan Army but only six Afghan cadets came to Pakistan while the rest of them went to India as Afghanistan preferred to train thousands of its troops from India.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar was holding a press conference at GHQ in view of the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

He said that India’s role in Afghanistan was negative. “Dasu, Lahore, Quetta terror incidents occurred due to nexus between RAW and NDS,” he said.

“We have to wait and see what kind of government will form in Afghanistan,” he commented.

“I will only talk about the military aspect of the situation in Afghanistan. The Pakistani side of the Pak-Afghan border is completely secure and cross border movement is controlled on the border.”

“The situation in Afghanistan is unpredictable and security measures are being taken in the context of the Afghan situation,” he added.

Pakistan had apprehensions that the situation would unfold in the way that it did and there could be a "spillover", which is why it took the steps it did, he elaborated.

He said that authorities took steps that were best for both countries. He clarified that cross-border movement is allowed at the border only with legal documents.

Maj Gen Babar said that several times Afghan National Army personnel took refuge in Pakistan. He said Pakistan assisted in the evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan and Pakistan has made tremendous sacrifices in the War on Terror over the past two decades.

Giving details of military operations during this period, the DG ISPR said the armed forces conducted 1,237 major and minor operations and cleared more than 46,000 sq km area along the western border against terrorists and their infrastructure.

"With the support of our great nation and LEAs (law enforcement agencies), our armed forces were able to turn the tide."

"The political and military leadership in Pakistan had the foresight that something like this (Taliban takeover in Afghanistan) could happen. So, despite whatever has happened on that side (Afghanistan), the situation on the Pak-Afghan border is normal and under control".

"This does not mean nothing can happen but we are prepared and won't be caught unaware," he added.

“The Afghan border has been closed and reopened several times since August 15,” ISPR DG added. “Illegal movement at the border has been stopped as appropriate steps have been taken for peace in Pakistan,” he added.

“Pakistan lost $152 billion in the War on Terror. 90 percent fencing work on Pak-Afghan the border has been completed and 1238 military posts have been set up inside Pakistan territory at Pak-Afghan border,” he added.

The army spokesman said that COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa had visited Afghanistan four times in recent years.