by Syed Irfan Raza in Dawn, Sept 11th, 2023
• Minister says TTP using Afghanistan as launching pad
ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan faces a surge in terrorist attacks, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday downplayed the increase in militancy, saying there was no need for alarm as “a little surge [in terrorism] is not so big as to make us panic”.
The statement by the interim minister came amid reports of almost daily skirmishes between the security forces and terrorists — the most recent being the infiltration attempt in Chitral in which over a dozen attackers were killed while several troops embraced martyrdom.
Speaking about the Chitral attack at a press conference flanked by interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, Mr Bugti confirmed that Afghan soil was being used against Pakistan to foment violence.
He hoped the Afghan government would uphold the Doha agreement, ensuring that its soil was not used against anyone.
In reply to a question, Mr Bugti said it was confirmed that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s attack was launched from Afghanistan, but the government had yet to ascertain whether only the TTP members conducted the attack or Afghan nationals were also involved in it.
“It doesn’t matter who carried out the attack. For us they are all terrorists,” he added.
The minister vowed that the country’s security forces will respond to such attacks in future in a befitting manner. “Our response will be visible.”
The minister commended the Pakistan Army’s swift response and the Chitralis’ resilience against terrorism. “The government will not allow anyone to impose their agenda through force and will defend every inch of the territory,” he said……
https://www.dawn.com/news/1775260/caretaker-govt-plays-down-escalation-in-acts-of-terror
