ISLAMABAD, DEC 29: /DNA/ – Business leader and former President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Dr. Shahid Rasheed Butt, said on Sunday that Army’s improved approach to handling terrorists is laudable and will benefit Pakistan.
He said that relations with Afghanistan cannot be at the cost of Pakistan and good relations are only possible if the latter stops supporting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said in a statement issued here today that Afghanistan is Pakistan’s brotherly neighbour, and it is our heartfelt wish to improve relations with Kabul, especially about the economy and trade, but it is subject to mutual cooperation.
He said that the TTP is operating from Afghanistan and carrying out terror attacks and killing innocent people inside Pakistan, which cannot go on.
Pakistan has a sincere desire to have good neighbourly ties with Afghanistan, but the TTP issue has become a sour point, as the Afghan government is not controlling TTP.
The issue of anti-Pakistan activities by the TTP and other terrorist outfits from Afghan soil was repeatedly raised with the Afghan interim government. Still, he observed no satisfactory response.
The business leader noted that Pakistan fully respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty, but they, too, should not give terrorists priority over Pakistan otherwise strikes inside Afghanistan will continue while the masses will fully support it.
Highlighting the defence forces prolonged and continued battle against terrorism, he noted that the outgoing year has witnessed the highest number of terrorists eliminated compared to the past five years.
The magnitude of this unconventional war can be gauged by the fact that 59,779 intelligence-based operations were carried out against terrorists during the past year alone.
During these operations, 925 terrorists were killed, and several others were arrested. This was the most significant number of terrorists killed in a single year during the past 5 years.
He informed that during various operations, a significant quantity of weapons was recovered from terrorist hideouts, demonstrating the scale of the threat and the success of counter-terrorism efforts.
Several high-profile terrorists were neutralized in these operations, marking a critical achievement in the fight against extremism. Apart from the intensified crackdown against terrorists, repatriation of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan illegally is also underway, and so far, 815,000 have been sent back.
Pakistan is pursuing the Western Border Management Regime, and its completion will play a significant role in formalizing the border and mitigating the threat of illegal crossings and rampant smuggling.
Mr. Butt said that Army is extending its support to check smuggling and overcome the challenges of electricity theft, hoarding and the menace of drugs.
Despite massive engagement in the war against terror, the Pakistan Army is also vigilant in thwarting Indian designs as it possesses full ability to counter any aggression from India.
He said that our defence forces are fully aware of threats to the country’s security and capable of delivering.
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