Govt hints at imposing international laws along Pak-Afghan border to stop 'terrorist influx'

Amid a spike in terrorist incidents, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for implementing all international laws along the Pak-Afghan border in a bid to stop infiltration of the terrorists into the country.

In a post on social media site X, formerly, Twitter, the defence minister hinted at making some "basic changes in the border situation" in light of an increase in the cross-border terrorist attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. 

Asif said that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is different from any other border in the world, terming the neighbouring country a “source of terrorism” for Pakistan.

He said that the Afghan government was not taking any steps to stop terrorists from its soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan, despite all-out efforts by Islamabad.

He said that the Afghan authorities are aware of the terrorist hideouts in their country. 

“There is no cooperation from Kabul. Pakistan should implement all the international laws on this border,” Asif said, adding that “terrorist traffic” will have to be stopped.

The defence minister's comments came after Tuesday's dastardly suicide attack that killed five Chinese nationals and a Pakistani citizen in Shangla's Besham city, which sent shock waves across the country amid a spike in terrorist attacks.

Pakistan has time and again accused the Afghan authorities of not taking action against terrorist outfits including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating on its soil and involved in cross-border attacks against security forces and civilians.

Earlier this month, seven Pakistan Army personnel, including two officers, were martyred in a terrorist attack in the general area Mir Ali of North Waziristan District.

Following the attack, the Pakistani forces carried out intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the border regions inside Afghanistan against terrorists launching attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil.

The military has called out the continuous use of Afghan soil as the reason behind the “growing terrorism in Pakistan”.

“It is clear to all that the recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan has full support and assistance of Afghanistan,” it added.

A day after the attack, the defence minister had also said that militants were using Afghanistan soil to carry out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.

“Terrorism against us is mostly being conducted from Afghanistan,” the defence minister had said while speaking to the media in Sialkot.