(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
ISLAMABAD (TNS) Pakistan stands with the international community in the war on terrorism. Pakistan paid a heavy price in the war on terrorism, and we will continue our efforts to eliminate terrorism. We faced terrorism after 9/11, 88 thousand Pakistanis were martyred in the war on terrorism, we defeated this scourge, billions of dollars were lost, we have to borrow and borrow to get out of this circle…..
US President Donald Trump has thanked Pakistan for its cooperation against terrorism. In his longest address to Congress since taking office, President Donald Trump thanked Pakistan for its cooperation in the fight against terrorism. President Trump thanked the Pakistani government for its cooperation in the arrest of the terrorist who carried out the Kabul bombing in 2021, saying that he would like to thank Pakistan in particular for its help in the arrest of this terrorist. Three and a half years ago, ISIS killed 13 Americans in Afghanistan. The man who killed the Americans in Afghanistan is currently being brought to the United States so that he can face the law in the United States. The US President said that extremists are against terrorism. I am happy to announce that a major figure responsible for terrorism in Afghanistan has been arrested.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has thanked US President Donald Trump for recognizing Pakistan’s efforts in cooperation against terrorism. In a statement released on social media site X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Trump acknowledged Pakistan’s role in counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan. We thank President Trump for recognizing and appreciating Pakistan’s role and support in counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister of Pakistan said that Trump appreciated Pakistan’s role in the context of the arrest of ISIS commander Sharifullah, Sharifullah is a citizen of Afghanistan and a wanted terrorist, on this occasion the US President also called the withdrawal from Afghanistan extremely shameful. The US President delivered the longest address to Congress in history, the duration of his address was one hour 39 minutes and 31 seconds, while earlier in 1993, President Clinton had given a speech of one hour and 5 minutes. The news agency claimed that Pakistan, based on information provided by the CIA, arrested the ISIS commander, who was involved in a horrific terrorist conspiracy on the occasion of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. According to the news agency, 13 US soldiers and 170 Afghan civilians were killed in this terrorist incident at the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport in 2021. Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the ISIS leaders who allegedly plotted this terrorism, is also known as the terrorist Jafar, he was arrested by the Pakistani intelligence agency and is now being brought to the United States from Pakistan, which will be brought to the United States on Wednesday. The American official told the news agency that Sharifullah is the mastermind of this terrorist incident on August 26. Remember that Pakistan, based on information provided by the CIA, arrested the ISIS commander who was involved in the horrific terrorist plot on the occasion of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. In this terrorist incident at the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport in 2021, 13 American soldiers and 170 Afghan civilians were killed. Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the ISIS leaders who allegedly plotted this terrorism, is also known as the terrorist Jafar, he was arrested by the Pakistani intelligence agency and is now being brought to the United States from Pakistan, which will be brought to the United States on Wednesday. The US official told the news agency that Sharifullah is the mastermind of the August 26 terrorist attack. President Trump, upon taking office, had instructed CIA Director John Ratcliffe to make it a priority to capture the elements involved in the Abbeygate terror attack. The CIA director raised the issue with senior officials in Pakistan the very next day after taking office and then discussed the issue with a senior Pakistani security official at the Munich Security Conference in February. On the other hand, in his address to Congress, US President Donald Trump said that three and a half years ago, ISIS killed 13 Americans in Afghanistan, and he was happy to announce that a major figure responsible for terrorism in Afghanistan had been caught. President Trump also said that the terrorist who killed the Americans in Afghanistan is currently being brought to the United States where he will face the law. President Trump said that he is especially grateful to Pakistan for this arrest.
Pakistan has always played a leading role in counter-terrorism efforts aimed at preventing terrorists and militant groups from providing safe havens. Shahbaz Sharif said that we are committed to combating all forms of terrorism and in this effort, Pakistan has made great sacrifices, including the lives of more than 80,000 of our brave soldiers and civilians. We will continue to partner closely with the United States for regional peace and stability.Recall the fact that on June 22, 2024, Pakistan once again raised the issue of terrorism in the region at the global level, with Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram calling on the United Nations to take decisive action against terrorism in Afghanistan. Addressing the Security Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, had called the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organizations a direct threat to the region and the international community. The Pakistani ambassador had called on the international community to take decisive action against terrorists in Afghanistan, and had urged the Afghan government to take decisive action against terrorist activities. He had said that although the Afghan interim government had made significant progress in the fight against ISIS, several other terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda and the TTP, were still active in his country. Munir Akram said that there are some other terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including Al-Qaeda, TTP, ATIM, IMU, these are all groups against which the Afghan interim government should take immediate and strict action. He had said that some of these groups are a direct threat to all neighboring countries of Afghanistan and this is also a serious threat to the international community, while these terrorist groups are also a serious threat to the Afghan interim government, because as long as these groups continue to operate freely inside and outside the country, the goals of economic and social development in Afghanistan cannot be achieved. The Pakistani ambassador had said that among these groups, TTP poses a direct and serious threat to Pakistan, TTP and its affiliates are responsible for several attacks on Pakistan. On August 26, 2024, more than 60 people were killed in targeted killings and suicide attacks in different districts of Balochistan, while two separate incidents of kidnapping of seven people, including a serving Lieutenant Colonel and three Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, were reported in the Kalachi area of Dera Ismail Khan. In such a situation, the Pakistani government had to hold the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan responsible for all these incidents. Pakistan had last carried out a systematic operation against terrorists in the form of Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ in 2014, but the focus of this operation was on pushing them across the border instead of eliminating the terrorists. The TTP is a terrorist organization that has no political existence, so a military operation is necessary to eliminate it. Pakistan claims that the extremist organizations in Afghanistan have become strong and their networks have become deeply rooted, while the weapons left in Afghanistan by the United States and its allies have fallen into the hands of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which uses these weapons in operations in Pakistan. The military chief of the Taliban government, Qari Faisaluddin Fitrat, had denied the presence of the banned TTP in Afghanistan and had said that Afghan soil is not used in attacks in Pakistan. It has been 4 years since the Taliban government took power in Afghanistan, and along with power, the situation on the ground has also come under the complete control of the Taliban. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have become a special target of terrorists. The terrorist network is layered. A part of this network consists of suicide squads. Their training camps are outside the borders of Pakistan, especially in Afghanistan. These smugglers are involved in kidnapping for ransom and other crimes. These people target security forces.
Their aim is to demoralize the security forces and create the impression among the public that terrorists are more powerful than the security forces. Terrorism in Pakistan began in the 1980s during the Afghan war when Pakistan allied with the United States and world powers to resist the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. After the Afghan jihad, these groups took the form of various extremist organizations within the country. After the 2001 attacks, terrorism intensified and the United States decided to pursue organizations involved in terrorism on its soil. Pakistan joined the United States in the war on terrorism, which targeted Afghanistan. As a result of the war on terrorism, Pakistan has faced suicide attacks, bombings and armed operations on its soil, which have not only severely damaged the country’s economy but also cost thousands of innocent lives. Despite the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan after two decades, terrorist acts continue in Pakistan. According to statistics, from 2001 to 2019, about 65,000 people died due to terrorism in Pakistan, including about 7,000 security personnel. From 2001 to 2023, Pakistan suffered a loss of $ 127 billion, according to a conservative estimate. Around 2020, Pakistani security forces had controlled terrorism in the country, but on August 15, 2021, the Afghan Taliban were handed over to the Afghan government in Afghanistan. After this, thousands of Pakistani prisoners were released from Afghan jails, who returned to Pakistan and announced their intention to organize themselves, while also starting bombings again.There is no doubt that there are external hands behind terrorism in Pakistan, in which Afghanistan and India are involved. There is no basis for conflict or hatred between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan has never attacked Afghanistan nor has it forcibly occupied its territory. It has also given refuge to millions of Afghans in its country. Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan. Immediate steps will have to be taken to improve the capacity and efficiency of the security action plan institutions to solve terrorism. It is necessary to ensure the implementation of laws to stop the financial support of terrorists. In the recent meeting of the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, a comprehensive military operation was approved in Balochistan against terrorist organizations. In his address to the committee meeting, the Army Chief gave a clear message to terrorists and anarchists, saying that the Constitution imposes on us the responsibility of internal and external security of Pakistan. Whoever obstructs the security of Pakistan and prevents us from doing our work will have to face the consequences. Terrorists want people to feel their presence and terrorize them. To resolve all the land and tribal disputes in this area, help should be sought from local elders and important scholars of all faiths should be brought together to resolve sectarian issues. It is true that US President Donald Trump has thanked Pakistan for its cooperation against terrorism. Our sacrifices are now being acknowledged at the global level, but the war is not over yet. This is the final stage of the war and this is the stage where we need to be more vigilant than ever.
