US effort to retrieve weapons in Afghanistan would improve security: Pak

Pakistan said on Thursday that any effort by the US to retrieve the leftover weapons in Afghanistan would help to improve the security of the region.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in response to a question at a weekly press briefing that the US left its weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan supported the idea that the US can try to get its weapons back.

Our concern is that those weapons have been found to being used by terrorists in their operations inside Pakistan. We have flagged it. If the US can make any efforts to get those weapons back, it would be helpful for the overall regional security environment, he said.

Khan also said that Pakistan's security cooperation with the US has been an ongoing process along with counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation.

To a question, he said that the effort of Pakistani law enforcement agencies against terrorists, including against ISKP (Islamic State (Khorasan Province), resulted in significant successes, including the arrest of Shareefullah, and pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions, 1267 and 1373, Pakistan collaborated with the US, adding that Pakistan has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.

Responding to several questions, he said the Ministry of Interior was the forum for the legal aspect of Shareefullah's arrest and handing over but emphasised that the legal procedures had been followed.

The spokesperson also said that the intelligence cooperation with the US has been ongoing and this is not the first time that a joint activity has been carried out by both countries.

Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, an ISIS-K terrorist, has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation resulting in death and faces life in prison for his role in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 United States military service members and about 160 civilians.

Trump thanked the Pakistani government for helping arrest Shareefullah, who supported and conducted activities on behalf of ISIS-K in support of multiple lethal attacks.

The attack on the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) on August 26, 2021, took place when American and other coalition military forces were conducting an evacuation operation at the airport as part of a larger operation to conclude US combat operations in Afghanistan.

The attacks came just days after the Taliban took over Kabul.

Khan also said Pakistan desires good neighbourly relations with Afghanistan as the two countries are connected by layers of complementarities but terrorism still remains the core issue, which is affecting the prospects of better phase of relations.

It is demonstrated and proven that the enabling environment in Afghanistan for terrorists primarily Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who enjoy sanctuaries there, is helping them carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. This is a constant issue which we have been raising with the Afghan authorities in order to be addressed, he said.

He rejected the impression that the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan was closed unilaterally by Pakistan on February 21, adding that the Afghan side has carried out an illegal and unilateral construction activity within the Pakistani territory at two points along the Pakistan border and also resorted to indiscriminate fire at Torkham border terminal and Pakistan military post.

Until now, the matter remains unresolved. Pakistan strongly condemns these repeated provocations and actions against Torkham border terminal, which is part of integrated transit trade management system, established to promote bilateral and transit trade, he said.

He also rejected allegations by Afghanistan regarding the presence of training camps of ISKP in Pakistan by saying we categorically reject these completely unfounded allegations, which were nothing but a sad attempt to deflect the reality of providing sanctuaries to the terrorist elements in Afghanistan.

The spokesperson also announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar left for Saudi Arabia to take part in the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Thursday in Jeddah, which would discuss joint actions in response to the deteriorating conditions in Palestine.