Pak minister Sanaullah rules out further talks with banned outfit TTP

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 4 (ANI): Amid a recent spate of attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after the group ended a ceasefire with Islamabad, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said that there will be no talks with TTP or any other terrorist organization, reported Geo News.
Talking about the National Security Committee meeting, in an interview, Sanaullah said Pakistan has decided to share evidence with the Taliban government as the terrorists based in Afghanistan are involved in terror activities here.
The interior minister said that Afghanistan had promised that its territory would not be used against any other country, and the Afghan government would be asked to fulfil that promise, reported Geo News.
He said that it has been decided in the NSC meeting that there will be no talks with TTP or any other terrorist organisation.
In the meeting, the army chief had categorically said that mixed messages should not be given on the issue of negotiations with terrorists, the narrative should be clear that there will be no negotiations with any terrorists, reported Geo News.
The interior minister said that talks will be held with the Afghan government, adding no Pakistani territory is under the control of terrorists.
Meanwhile, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid has said that the Afghanistan government desired better relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, and believed in all the resources and means that could help them meet the goal, reported Geo News.
His statement came a day after the NSC, asked the government in Kabul -- without naming it -- not to provide sanctuaries to Pakistani terrorist groups on its soil.
Expressing his disappointment over the recent statements by the Pakistani authorities, the Taliban spokesperson said they are trying their best to ensure that Afghan soil is not used against Pakistan or any other country, reported Geo News.
"It is also the responsibility of the Pakistan side to try to control the situation and avoid issuing baseless and provocative statements," he said, adding that such statements and an atmosphere of mistrust are not in the interest of any party.
The Afghanistan government does not only give importance to peace and stability inside the country but in the entire region, the Taliban spokesperson said and vowed that his country would continue its efforts in this regard.
This latest statement comes after the Taliban rejected comments made by Pakistan's interior minister about the presence of Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan. The Islamic group said that it is prepared to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Last week, Pakistan's interior minister said that Pakistan will target TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan. "When these problems arise, we first ask Afghanistan, our Islamic brother nation, to eliminate these hideouts and hand over these individuals to us, but if that doesn't happen, Islamabad will target these hideouts inside Afghanistan," the Pakistan minister had said.
Taliban-led Defense Ministry termed the remarks made by Pakistan as "provocative and baseless," Tolo News reported. The statement added that any issues or problems should be resolved through understanding.
The Taliban said that such allegations damage the good relations between the two neighbours. TTP is allied with the Taliban, which seized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August last year. The radical Islamic outfit has stepped up attacks in Pakistan since it announced the end of an Afghan Taliban-brokered ceasefire with the government in November last year.
The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan's security personnel in over a decade, said an Islamabad-based think-tank as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country.
In its annual report released on Saturday, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks that included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions. (ANI)