FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, on Wednesday, refuted the statement attributed to him that “Pakistan may target TTP positions inside Afghanistan if Kabul did not act against it”, saying that he never stated that Pakistan is going to attack Afghanistan or target anyone in the neighbouring country.

Addressing a press conference, the interior minister explained that he had stated that “if any terrorist outfit is planning to attack against the country, then under international law we can engage and we should engage against them”.

Earlier in a TV interview, the interior minister was widely covered to have stated that if the Afghan authorities of the interim government in Afghanistan failed to take action against the TTP, Pakistan may target their sanctuaries.

The statement prompted the Taliban interim government authorities to react sharply and asked Pakistan to refrain from such “provocative” statements “or else it has the capability to defend its own country – Afghanistan.”

In Wednesday’s presser, Interior Minister Sanaullah, however, contradicted the contents of his interview in certain media outlets.

He also said that during the last National Security Committee (NSC) meeting it has been decided that the issue will be taken up with the Afghanistan government, therefore, the government will talk to Tehreek Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) government.

“Afghanistan is a fact and the TTA’s government is also a fact,” he said. He added that efforts were also made in the past and are still ongoing that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is brought to the talks on the condition that they would lay arms and bring itself under the law and Constitution of Pakistan.

He said the NSC laid out a clear policy that there were no good or bad terrorists and no talks will be held with any outfit.

About terror threats, he said there is no specific threat but there are general threats of terrorism, and law enforcement agencies are taking effective steps to deal with these threats.

To a question regarding the rise in terror activities in the country, he said the role of the previous or present government is less to be blamed for the current rise in terrorist attacks. “But in my views, it is because of the decision authorised by the Parliament for talks with the TTP which paved the way for the return of the militants in the country,” he said, adding that talks should only be held with those ready to come under the legal framework.

He further stated that at that time there was thinking that these people will come under the legal framework, adding that when they came back they adopted the same militant attitude. “This attitude, I think, is the result of the current rise in terrorism in the country,” he maintained.