Surgical strikes possible if Afghans don’t deliver on TTP

• Ghani calls Sharif, condoles deaths caused by Taliban terrorists in Badaber PAF camp attack
• Reiterates Afghan govt’s commitment to not allow its soil to be used against Pakistan

The civil and military leadership on Monday deliberated upon various options to track down and eliminate the ‎masterminds, financiers and perpetrators of the Badaber PAF camp attack and other acts of terrorism in Pakistan originating from Afghanistan, with some proposals calling for surgical strikes inside Afghanistan besides pushing the Afghan government to arrest or kill Pakistani Taliban leaders and supporters hiding in that country.

The proposals were considered in a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Maj Gen Aamir Riaz, Director General Military Intelligence (MI) Major Gen Nadeem Zaki attended the meeting. Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar was not present in the meeting as he is performing Hajj.

The meeting was held to review the overall security situation with particular reference to Friday’s terrorist attack on Pakistan Air Force (PAF) camp in Badaber which killed 29 people.

Top intelligence officials briefed the meeting regarding the planning and execution of the attack by the TTP from Afghan soil. Evidence was also shared in the meeting which would be presented to Kabul for tougher action against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts located inside Afghanistan.

Sources privy to the meeting told Pakistan Today that the participants observed that since Afghan President Dr Ashraf Ghani’s writ was fast eroding and he was also under pressure from Afghan groups under heavy influence of India, it would be better to exert diplomatic pressure on the Afghan government to act against Pakistani Taliban rather than resorting to direct military action in the neighbouring country.

“Pakistan maintains that attack was planned at Afghanistan and was coordinated from the neighbouring country (read India),” the well-placed source said, adding that the meeting also discussed the possibility of military intervention if the Afghan government fails to deliver against those fomenting terrorism in Pakistan.

“Pakistan believes that ‎Dr Ghani wants to act against TTP terrorists but either he is immensely under ‎pressure from pro-Indian lobbies or he is unable to get his orders implemented. We have reports that Dr Ghani is seriously ill and his influence is being curtailed,” the source said, adding that Pakistan would use surgical strikes as the last option.

The source said that Pakistan would also urge the ISAF commander to ensure that Afghan soil is not used against Pakistan in future.

Last time Pakistan conducted a surgical strike inside Afghanistan was in year 1988.

The ISPR DG had earlier maintained that the attack on PAF camp was planned and controlled from Afghanistan.

Later, Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had told a news channel that initial investigation into the attack on the PAF camp had proved terrorists’ contacts within Afghanistan.

On the other hand, the Afghan government had strongly rejected as baseless the claims that the attack on PAF camp in Peshawar was planned and controlled from Afghanistan.

GHANI CALLS SHARIF:

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ghani telephoned Prime Minister Sharif on Monday evening and condemned the recent terrorist attack on PAF base near Peshawar, said a statement issued by PM House.

According to details provided in the statement, the Afghan president denounced the attack on Badaber Airforce base and extended his “heartfelt condolences on the demise of civilians and military personnel in the incident”.

Ghani reiterated his government’s stance that “Afghanistan will never allow its land to be used against Pakistan by anyone”.