Bajwa
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 16, 2017
Pakistani military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that his troops have destroyed “all safe havens” for terrorists in Pakistan.
Bajwa also told Ghani in a telephone call on January 15 that the two countries must cooperate on security issues to deter cross-border infiltration of militant groups.
Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Bajwa also conveyed to Ghani his condolences for a recent string of deadly bombings in Afghanistan that killed more than 50 people and wounded dozens of others.
Afghan officials have accused Pakistan’s military and ISI intelligence agency of aiding Taliban insurgents and other militants operating in Afghanistan and of providing sanctuary to them in Pakistan.
Pakistan denies the charges.
Ghafoor said that Bajwa told Ghani that elements that oppose regional peace are “strengthened by the blame game.”
“[General Bajwa] emphasized that Pakistan has come a long way in its fight against terrorism…and has eliminated all safe havens in the process,” Ghafoor added.
Ghafoor also said Bajwa had reiterated a call by Islamabad to install a “robust” border security system to prevent terrorists to cross and operate on both sides of the two countries’ nearly 2,600-kilometer border.
With reporting by VOA and Dawn.com
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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